OVERVIEW
Ujamaa Place is bringing its Ujamaanomics 2021 Hackathon to the Twin Cities July 12-21, in partnership with Northwest Area Foundation, Thrivent and NDC, hosted by OMG Digital Media Solutions. Ujamaa Place is excited to be a part of that next big idea to effect social change by using advanced technology to address inequities plaguing young African American men.
Ujamaa Men enrolled in the Theory of Transformation™ will compete for a grand prize for the most innovative concept which serves to transform the lives of the most marginalized population in society, African American men ages 18-30. Hackathon participants will present their idea to a panel of judges on July 19-21. Judges will vote on the most innovative concept and the winner will be announced on July 23. The 2021 Hackathon Grand Prize includes: a $500 cash prize per team member, business plan development assistance, media plan, basic website and an opportunity to pitch your idea to funding sources in the Twin Cities).
Grand prize value: $20K
Hackathon Theme
The theme for the Ujamaanomics 2021 Hackathon is Center of Gravity. The mission for participants is to find their center of gravity by aligning in passion, creativity, and synergy to develop a concept or solution that addresses societal issues disproportionately impacting African American men ages 18-30, such has poverty, homelessness, violence, addiction, healthcare, and criminal justice to name a few. This year’s Hackathon honors great African American inventors who paved the way – George Washington Carver, Benjamin Banneker, Otis Boykin, George Crum, Dr. Charles Drew, Valerie Thomas and Dr. James E. West, whose inventions are still being utilized today. This opportunity is for change agents who seek to uplift and empower young African American men, as the aforementioned leaders did for us.
Ujamaa Place provides holistic transformation and stabilizing support and services for young African American men experiencing inequity at the intersection of race and poverty to help them achieve personal success. Many have been searching for ways to uplift African American men to help them achieve a more promising future. We believe in connecting advanced technology, social justice innovators, economics and business leaders, to spearhead radical innovative programs, whose benefits extends to the most marginalized populations in society.
The final output can be displayed as a power-point presentation, working prototype, a visual diagram, app, widget or any suggested method that effectively presents the solution to the panel of judges. All participants will be recognized and will receive runner-up prizes for their participation.
To be eligible to participate, you must be between the ages 18-30, enrolled in the Theory of Transformation™, and actively participating in programming. To learn more about enrollment, please contact Ujamaa’s Program/Intake Director, Faith Lofton, at (651) 528-8006.
Enrollment
Complete the form below to enroll in 2021 Hackathon.