2018 Tampa Bay National Day of Civic Hacking

National Day of Civic Hacking (Hack for Change) on August 11, is an annual nationwide event hosted by Code for America that brings together citizens, software developers, and entrepreneurs  to collaboratively create, build, and invent new solutions using publicly-released data, code and technology to solve challenges relevant to our neighborhoods, our cities, our states and our country. National Day of Civic Hacking provides citizens an opportunity to do what is most quintessentially American: roll up our sleeves, get involved and work together to improve our society.

This year, Code for Tampa Bay invited local city and county governments, and area service organizations to to submit project ideas for the event, and received several on which Hack for Change teams can work together to solve.

Projects

The four agencies we'll be working with at this year's event are:

• Metropolitan Ministries - to help develop an intelligent chatbot to better direct those in need to most appropriate services 
• Winners' Resource Center -  A more efficient resource for non-profits and companies to share their information with those in need in the Tampa Bay area
• The Greenhouse - a platform for St. Pete's Grow Smarter Initiative 
• Arts Conservatory for Teens - Grant tracking database/system

We'll share more information about these groups and their projects, as well as a couple of others in the wings, as we get closer to the event date.  

Winning solutions will be chosen by a team of judges and agency representatives, and winners will receive trophies and the opportunity to continue developing their hackathon challenge solution into fully working models for the relevant civic agencies.

Who Can Participate

There's no cost to participate and all are welcome! It’s not necessary to be a coder or “techie” to participate. While coders, developers and designers have vital skills to create applications, dashboards and tools, they can’t do their work without interested citizens with ideas, artists who can design graphics and layouts, front end designers, writers and storytellers. The issues being explored are whole brain problems in need of whole brain solutions, and everyone is needed at the table. 

Meals and refreshments are provided throughout the day, and the first 50 registrants receive event t-shirts. 

Sponsorship

If you or your company would like to be a National Day of Civic Hacking sponsor, you can contribute at Code for America and identify "Code for Tampa Bay" as the beneficiary. Thank you!

Code of Conduct

Code for Tampa Bay Brigade, at all meetings and events,  actively abides by Code for America’s Code of Conduct and operates as a Safe Space, where anyone can relax and be fully self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, age, or physical or mental ability; a place where the rules guard each person’s self-respect and dignity and strongly encourages everyone to respect others. You can read our full Code of Conduct here. Anyone violating our Code of Conduct may be asked to leave a meeting or event.