The Raccoons is an innovation and building marathon, where participants are invited to come build their ideas or come up with a solution for an idea under one of the proposed challenges in 48h. Particularly useful will be the workshops about various technologies and coding, especially for beginners, to grow interest in these skills. The need for digital skills among young adults is increasingly important, in order to encourage the development of new ideas and understanding of problems among the next generations.
Who can Join?
Open to anyone who is a high school or university student over the age of 16, from any country, regardless of skills and background.
Date
20th - 22nd of October
Place
Jelgavas Street 1, Riga, Latvia
House of Nature, University of Latvia
Language
English
While we are preparing, take a look at what happened last year or get to know more about us.
Step 1 - Register
Step 2 - Receive invite to Discord and more info in email
Step 3 - Start to form your very best team in Discord
Step 4 - Get to event venue and attend hackathon opening to hear challenges from our partners
Step 5 - Attend workshops and meet with mentors that will help you develop you idea into prototype.
Step 6 - Participate in the extra activities and have fun
Step 7 - Submit a video and description of your idea in Devpost
Step 8 - Get prizes for the awesome work you have done
04.10.
PART 2 to our first CODE CAMP! If you are new to coding, this in-person session is going to help you familiarize yourself with coding projects and GitHub. Learn to navigate your repo, understand branches, and collaborate with others on code.
06.10.
Tune in for a livestream covering all the essential information about the hackathon - location, mentors, and schedule. This will give you the inside scoop on what to expect, as well as helpful tips and answers to any organizational questions you might have!
13.10.
A rapid showcase of valuable resources to assist you in creating and improving your hackathon solution. We'll go over many relevant free or open-source tools for building, coding, visualizing, and collaborating with your team.
18.10.
Join our in-person meet-up with previous hackathon participants and winners in a networking event. Together we'll try to answer what is a hackathon and what you should get done by the end of it.
20.10.
The first day of the RACCOONS HACKATHON. Get started! Good luck and have fun!
22.10.
The last day of the RACCOONS HACKATHON. Get your solutions ready and pitches rehearsed. It’s time to shine!
21.10.
Learn how to craft an attention-grabbing hackathon pitch with confidence and conviction. Using real-world examples and interactive exercises, we'll guide you through the process of creating a compelling pitch that will capture investors' attention!
Work, work, work!
WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
A laptop and charger, everything else we will take care of.
WHAT IS A HACKATHON?
A hackathon is best described as an “invention marathon”. Anyone who has an
interest in technology attends a hackathon to learn, build & share their creations
over the course of a weekend in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
WHO CAN APPLY?
It is open to any young adult, university or high school student and young professional from any country, regardless of skills and background. We are beginner-friendly - all you need is the willingness to learn!
WHERE WILL IT HAPPEN?
In person in the House of Nature of University of Latvia (Jelgavas Street 1, Riga).
+ Discord for online communication
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?
Themes of problems to solve will be announced a few weeks before the hackathon. More precise challenge descriptions will be revealed shortly before the hackathon.
WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE?
1. Gain and improve programming skills and challenge yourself creatively.
2. Meet new like-minded people and learn to collaborate.
3. Work on projects that you can add to your portfolio that showcase your talent when applying to positions at companies.
HOW DOES A HACKATHON WORK?
You register for the event and get invited to Discord, brainstorm your ideas with others, communicate with your team or find one in Discord or at the event, attend opening ceremonies, workshops and entertainment activities and work on your projects using the skills you learn on the way.
GREAT, HOW DO I JOIN IN?
After you register we will send you an invite to our Discord platform where all the hackathon communication will take place.
WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE
A TEAM?
Not to worry - we will have a team building activities to help you find a suitable team. They will happen at the event on the first day of the event. Plus the hackathon requirements are that you must work on an idea within a team from 1 to max 5 people, so you can also work alone in case you feel like it.
WHAT IS THE END RESULT?
At The Raccoons, the goal is to encourage learning, digital skills and freedom to experiment and make mistakes, as well as build new things and ideas. Therefore, participants are free to choose whether to present their projects and be eligible for the prizes!
CAN I PARTICIPATE ONLINE?
The event takes place in person but it is not mandatory that you are at the event venue during all the days. But there must be at least one person at the event venue on the last day of the event to present the team and what you have built.
IS THERE A PLACE TO SLEEP?
Yes, if you are coming from outside of Riga and have nowhere to rest, we will provide you with basics: room to sleep, mattresses and sleeping bags.
