EXPIRED
GenU Virtual Hackathon
Oct 21-24, 2021
Gaza Sky Geeks, a program of Mercy Corps, is organizing the biggest virtual hackathon in Palestine in partnership with UNICEF. This 4-day hackathon will bring together around 1500 Palestinians from all over the country with the purpose of creating innovative solutions for urgent problems related to education.
Hackathon Numbers
1586
750
183
What is the GenU Hackathon?
Generation Unlimited (GenU) is a global multi-sector partnership developed to address the urgent need for expanded education, training, and employment opportunities for young people, aged 10 to 24, on an unprecedented scale. At Gaza Sky Geeks, we believe in the abilities of young people and in the necessity of them taking part in the change-making happening around the globe.
Because we believe that youth participation is essential to the creation of an agenda of solutions, Gaza Sky Geeks and UNICEF are partnering to implement the GenU hackathon. Around 1500 young people will join our 4-day hackathon to learn, while competing to secure a place among the winning teams. The winners will receive eight weeks of incubation at Gaza Sky Geeks accelerator. They will also be supported financially enabling them to launch their project into the market as a solution to the Education challenges.
Participants in the hackathon will acquire the skills and information needed to develop comprehensive thinking skills about entrepreneurship, how to build a team, and shaping a startup idea ready for launch and implementation.
Hackathon Winners
التغيير للأفضل
“Wanting to impact the field of education, the group recognises the dire needs of not only focusing on academia, but also the mental health of children. They designed an app-based psycho analysis of children’s drawings.”
From zero to hero
“the team are providing innovative education options via its web app for cerebral palsy and down-syndrome patients that helps them better integrate into society.”
CodeLand
“CodeLand is to create the ultimate go-to, online and interactive platform that enables tech graduates with specialized programming and development skills through a clear reward-based road map which will see them enter the job market as competent and professional freelance developers.”
I Can Read
“I Can Read” is a phonics curriculum which helps kids aged 5 to 10 overcome English reading difficulties, delivered through audio material and other learning materials. The team saw that the Palestinian curriculum focuses mainly on memorizing the ‘shape’ of words rather than teaching children how to build these.
English Club
“The English Club application provides students with interactive and differentiated exercises based on the English for Palestine Curriculum. This aims to address the low achievement in English language learning due to crowded classes and limited session times, targeting Primary School students in Grades 5 and 6 UNRWA schools for a low one-time annual subscription.”
Learn & code
“Learn and Code is a Mobile app targeted to Middle school students which provides both a free curriculum and advanced paid courses. The courses are designed to be fun and interesting for students whilst developing an understanding of coding instead of of simple rote learning. The team will also aim to provide online training and workshops to its subscribers.”
My Stuff
“My stuff” is a mobile application that serves as a link between students who are looking for books and study supplies and those who have them and don’t need them anymore; those are usually graduates. The app provides a safe, confidential, and reliable communication environment, as well as online ordering, packaging, and door-to-door delivery as it is designed to facilitate communication between university studentS.
How Can You Prepare Yourself?
Research the most imminent challenges in the field of education.
Check out this booklet about the education ecosystem in Palestine where we summarized the challenges imposed on the educational ecosystem in Palestine
Hackathon Theme
Education and Quality Learning in Palestine
The hackathon will empower the youth of Palestine to build digital and non-digital solutions which contribute towards improving access, availability and quality of education and learning offerings across Palestine.
Hackathon Prizes
20,000
Provided by UNICEF divided between the top winning teams toward their incubation at GSG Accelerator and Incubator.
Judging Criteria
Potential
Impact
Increment /
Innovation
Implementation
Feasibility
Money Usage and
future plans
Pitching
Prototype
Judging Panel
Ibtisam Abu-Shammala
The UNICEF Education Officer in Gaza
Hussain Mahdi
Startup Academy Program
Majd Khalifeh
Co-founder and CEO at Flow Accelerator
Daoud Ghannam
The founder and CEO of uMake
Hackathon Mentors
Get an opportunity to get feedback from the best and brightest Mentors
Naiane Ribeiro
Co-founder of re:Start Association
Ahmed Adel
A Senior Software Engineer at Zendesk
Steve Lewis
He has been working in the software development field
Mostafa Ali Mansour
A software development engineer at Amazon
Doaa Ghandour
A game developer and co-founder at Afkar startup
Aly salim
The Co-Founder of M-Power (SwahiliBox)
Ahmed El Zoughby
Ahmed is a Design Labs Mentor & Facilitator at Google for Startups
Yusuf Saib
He managed offshore resources and delivered outstanding results at leading Silicon Valley corporations
Nourhan Fooda
Computer engineer with practical experience in software development
Sabrin AlKabariti
A Graphic designer and specialist on UX/UI design
Brad Watson
Brad works at Zane Ventures Fund as a product manager
Haya Saad
A digital marketing and business growth consultant
Yahya Hazem
A product manager working at mawdoo3 company
Daniel Ludwig
A Trainer, Leadership Coach & Social Entrepreneur
Alaa Alshurafa
The Co-Founder of FulApp House Cleaning Services
Hazem Tirhi
The Executive Director of Station J
Ahmad Alnajjar
A senior management professional
Lana Murad
A senior management consultant
Suzan Maki
Experienced Human Resources Manager
Anni Rowland-Campbell
The director of Intersticia UK
Omar Jabari
The chairman of the Kellogg Palestine Alumni Club and chapter President for MELA
Rana Mohammad Nofal
A Head of Programming & Data Department at MOH
Nozhat Choudry
A senior executive in pharmaceutical in clinical drug and device development from entry to regulatory approval and post marketing
Amrit Dhir
The Director of Partnerships at Recidiviz
Nouran Ghannam
The founder and CEO of Stllr
Hala Hattab
Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship at the British University and trainer in Egypt
Hala Hattab
Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship at the British University and trainer in Egypt
Ahmed Nagy Elaghoury
Founder and CEO of businostics that specializes in management consultancy
Zeyad Hesham
An electrical engineer who loves building and scaling technology businesses
Amr Mahmoud Ghannam
A professional trainer IECD – Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement
Saif Ahmed
The co-founder and CPO of WideBot
Amr Hanafy
The Entrepreneur in Residence for the largest entrepreneurship summit in MENA region RiseUp
Ashraf Zeitoon
Advisor of the leading Global & Regional Technology & Entertainment corporations
Farouq Hassan
The co-founder before Zaytona fashion, Egypreonics, and Startup Grind Cairo chapter
Hassan Ali
Entrepreneur in RiseUp
Amr Hussain
Entrepreneur in Residence for the largest entrepreneurship summit in MENA region RiseUp
Eslam el Khateeb
He runs his own startup HLPR
Mahmoud Mohamed Shalaby
Financial accountant and business valuation specialist
Alyaa Abushaban
Have background in industrial engineering and experience in educational management
Osama Bilal
He has a background in business administration and management
Doaa Abulaila
An entrepreneur, Co-founder of FUL APP startup
Naiane Ribeiro
Co-founder of re:Start Association
Hala Hattab
Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship at the British University and trainer in Egypt
Waseem Alkelani
A full-time English Language teacher in a public school
Hanin Elholy
Expert teacher
Hackathon Team
Feel free to reach out to the hackathon organizers via Discord
Mahmoud Khwaiter
Hackathon Lead
Nour Saqqa
Hackathon Lead
Yasmin Amer
Hackathon Lead
Mahmoud AlMadhoun
Website Lead/Technical Support
Ismail Aziza
Ops/ live stream Lead
Tala Abu Nahla
Mentorship lead
Aya Jomaa
Social media lead
Ahmed Al Rantisi
Quality assurance lead
Abdallah Khadra
Chief Host
Omar Al-Rabi
Content/Help Desk Lead
Nour Elkhoudary
Help Desk Lead
Haneen Shahwan
Help Desk Lead
Ishak Kassab
Help Desk Lead
Nadia AbuShaban
Help Desk Lead
Iyad Altahrawi
Content Design and Delivery
Yousef Elhallaq
Content Design and Delivery
Hussain Mahdi
Content Design and Delivery
Jamal Almiqati
Content Design and Delivery
Ahmed Ajour
Technical Lead
Adeeb Al Sousy
Ops/ Logs Lead
Saher Zaher
Graphic Designer
The Hackathon 4-Day Agenda
We will be updating this schedule with workshops. Stay tuned for future announcements.
Day 1
Ideation Day
Day 2
Team Formation Day
Day 3
Hacking Day
Day 4
Judging Day
Register Now
Join the GenU Hackathon and become part of changing the education system in Palestine – spots are limited so we recommend you register soon!
REGISTERDo You Have Any Question?
We have put together the answers for some of the most frequently asked questions, but feel free to reach out to us if you still have unanswered questions.
READ FAQFAQ's
Below you'll find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:
What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is an innovation marathon where teams are working to come up with new solutions to existing problems.
What is Generation Unlimited (GenU)?
GenU is a UNICEF Global multi-sector Partnership that enables the largest generation of 1.8 billion young people (10- 24) to become productive and engaged members of society. You can learn more about it here.
What is the GenU Hackathon?
Gaza Sky Geeks is partnering with UNICEF to deliver a 4-day virtual hackathon targeting youth aged 16 to 24 years old from Gaza and West Bank.
I want to join along with my team, can I?
You need to register for the hackathon as an individual. Teams will be formed during the first day of the event – meaning you cannot register an already existing group.
What is the role of a mentor?
Mentors will do three things:
- 1.They will provide office hours for participants and teams to seek advice. These will be pre-booked times based on their availability.
- 2.They will participate in the pitch rehearsals sessions.
- 3.They will take part in the panel of judges during the semi-final pitching competition.
How can I communicate with my team during the hackathon?
Official communication between organizers and participants will take place on Slack and Zoom so make sure you keep an eye out for any announcements. However, you can communicate with your team in whichever way you believe is best and most efficient!
What are the prizes?
The ultimate prize is to help your community tackle the educational challenges – especially those imposed during the pandemic. Additionally, $20K+ will be awarded during the incubation period supporting up to 10 teams developing their solutions.
Who can participate?
This hackathon is open to anyone who has an idea and/or a skill, wanting to build a product or service to elevate the quality of learning and education in Palestine.
When will the hackathon take place?
The hackathon will take place online for four days from the 21st until the 24th of October.
What is the final deliverable?
A pitch deck for your startup idea and a 1-minute video of your product’s prototype (if applicable). We will share more information about this on slack.
I am Palestinian living in Diaspora, can I participate?
Unfortunately, only Palestinians who are living in Palestine can participate. We plan in the future to include Palestinians in the diaspora.
Participants
How do I communicate with only one person on Slack?
You can send direct messages through slack to a single person or multiple people.
How do I make a team group on Slack?
You should create a public channel and name it appropriately with your team name and invite people by mentioning them. We will send detailed information on how you can do this via slack.
Does my team have a leader?
There is no set leader but you can of course appoint one person to submit files and take care of communications as you see fit.
Can I communicate with my team by other means than Slack?
Official communication between organizers and participants will take place on Slack and Zoom so make sure you keep an eye on any announcements. That being said, you can communicate with your team however you believe is best and most efficient!
Partners
A big thank you to each of our sponsors and partners for this event.
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