The SLIDE team developed the hybrid Social Hackathon method using interactive distance-learning technologies to connect students with international community partners. A pilot event was organized in November 2024, which resulted in a instruction guide for teachers on how to use the social hackathon method as a short-term e-service-learning project for interdisciplinary and international collaboration among students and community partners.

The SLIDE Social Hackathon ‘Digital Bridges and Gaps in Society’ took place on Wednesday 13 November 2024. It was a full-day, hybrid event involving 11 student teams, 9 community partners, and multiple international instructors, mentors and jury members.

A social hackathon is an event that brings together people, typically from diverse backgrounds and expertise, to collaborate on solving social issues or creating projects that positively impact society. Participants work together in teams to develop innovative solutions, often using technology, healthcare, education, poverty, environmental and sustainability challenges, and more. Social hackathons are a way to harness a community’s collective creativity and skills to drive positive change. 

Social hackathons have the potential to create a tangible and meaningful impact on society by addressing social challenges and creating solutions that can benefit communities and individuals. Hackatons are known to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and they encourage students to think outside the box, come up with creative solutions, and experiment with new technologies. Student social hackathons can address pressing social issues in local communities and beyond. By tackling these challenges, students can make a meaningful impact and contribute to positive societal change .

The social hackathon provided an opportunity for all participating students to work closely on selecting real social challenges and plan their transnational cross curricular e-service-learning projects in sustainable and ecologically responsible ways, addressing inclusion and diversity, and gradually moving from pilots to full-fledged e-service-learning projects.

The SLIDE Social Hackathon took place on Wednesday 13 November 2024. It was be a full-day, hybrid event in the form of an e-service-learning project. Student teams worked together in multidisciplinary teams to solve social challenges focused on the topic of digital inclusion, proposed by community partners from all over Europe. During the event, students connected online with community partners and other student teams, and were coached by international mentors.

The objectives of the SLIDE social hackathon were:

• to equip students with skills to participate in digital education fully, but also with skills to make connections with local communities and sensitise students towards digital inclusion and digital empowerment of community members;
• to develop intercultural understanding and international collaboration;
• to address specific challenges or problems faced by community organisations or communities connected with digitalisation and develop innovative solutions within a defined time frame which will be transferable to other organisations or communities.

Student in the winning team received a €50 cash prize. A parallel cash prize was awarded to the community partner that provided the winning challenge to help implementing the students’ solution. The partner used the prize to implement the solution that was proposed by the students.