In honor of #NationalDayofCivicHacking, I’m working with organizations in Northeastern Connecticut to organize a social good hackathon designed to build innovative public transportation solutions for isolated populations in the region. Often referred to as the “Quiet Corner,” or as some locals say, the “Forgotten Corner” of #Connecticut, it’s an area where residents have very little mobility resources if they don’t have a car.
I know that when I lived in NYC, I took public transportation for granted; and I used it for everything, every day – work, shopping, going to a movie, going to see my doctor. Outside of dense metro areas, especially in rural areas, lack of access to public transportation is a serious problem. Elderly, low-income, and isolated populations face barriers in getting critical social services, health care, education and training, employment, and healthy recreation – they’re forced to rely on private transport options that are becoming increasingly expensive.
A coalition of nonprofits (Access Community Action Agency, Generations Family Health Center, EASTCONN and The Connecticut Project) in Northeastern Connecticut (Windham & Tolland County) are sponsoring this event and they want you to join them and drive new transit solutions for Connecticut residents.
The event will take place over a weekend beginning on Friday, September 15th – the weekend before National Day of Civic Hacking. We will start by presenting the transportation issues facing the region and then form teams to build on those challenges and to create tangible solutions to pressing problems, then you’ll get a chance to work with local authorities to work on implementing them.
We only have a limited number of seats for this event, so we’ll ask you to fill out a very brief application for in person participation. Those of you who are selected to attend will get:
– Free transportation from NYC, Stamford, New Haven & Hartford to the hackathon and back
– Free lodging for the duration of the event
– Free meals all weekend (including an open bar)
– Event swag (woo!)
So if this sounds like your cup of tea and you want to help us at HackCT, please fill out the form at the link below right now and apply to be an on-site participant:
And even if you can’t make it in person, you should still RSVP because you can participate virtually too!
Here are the details, one more time:
WHAT: HackCT’s inaugural Transportation Hackathon
WHERE: EASTCONN Conference Center (376 Hartford Turnpike, Hampton, CT 06247)
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 15 – Sunday, Sept. 17th
WEB: https://www.hackct.org/
Join us, won’t you?