Youth ‘Hackathon’ on City Park Improvement

Hackathon4_ed

On Sunday April 27th 2019, Ismaili youth aged aged 13 – 18, took part in a hackathon exercise, as part of the Ismaili Economic Forum. The youth were given background material about City Park, and given a few hours to come up with innovative solutions on how to improve the park, bearing in mind principles of pluralism, environmental stewardship and sustainability.

The passion and innovations from the six different groups was infectious, with ideas ranging from creating a robot to pick up trash, creating a sports academy, and creating a multi-cultural place where all different cultures and religions were welcomed to rejuvenate.

Teams working with different media to create their ideal park
Teams working with different media to create their ideal park

The hackathon judges consisted of:

  • Ana Tehlova, Founder, Public Space Network
  • Seeta Shah, Secretary, Friends of City Park
  • Safia Abji, Aga Khan Foundation, East Africa
  • Farouk Khimji, Diamond Trust Bank
  • Karim Meghji, Chairman of the Social Welfare Board, Aga Khan Council for Kenya
  • Reshma Khan, National Youth Chair, Aga Khan Council for Kenya

The hackathon was coordinated by Zahra Kassam, an urban planner and social innovation professional. DTB awarded the winning team with a cash prize, and it was agreed that all the youth would work together to pursue one idea that can be implemented in the Park.

Judges with the winning team

All the participants, judges and organizers

Seeta Shah

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