Shabbat Dîner en Blanc attendees, left to right: Dana Troster, Brent Davis, Eliane Nevares and Emily Holzman. (photo by Ori Nevares)
On June 2, approximately 90 Jewish young adults from the Greater Vancouver area gathered for Shabbat Dîner en Blanc at VanDusen Botanical Garden. People came dressed in their finest whites, enjoyed the gardens and mingled with new people. Although a wonderful opportunity to schmooze and unwind, the event had a bigger purpose.
The dinner was an introduction to a new initiative coming to Vancouver at the end of this month. On June 25, Vancouver will host its first Community Hackathon. Modeled after Hackathon events in tech companies that use software and inter-professional efforts to solve problems in a short period of time, the Community Hackathon will tackle pertinent issues facing our community and try to solve them collaboratively.
The project will be facilitated by UpStart, an organization based in San Francisco that aims to inspire and advance innovative ideas that contribute to the continued growth and vitality of Jewish life. More than 20 cities in North America applied to have a Community Hackathon and Vancouver, along with Portland and San Diego, were fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity.
The Hackathon will be a full-day event where young Jewish adults will use design thinking to generate project ideas. The top three projects, as determined by a panel of judges, will receive seed grants of $3,200 each, as well as training and mentorship from UpStart over the months to follow.
This is a rare opportunity for younger community members to meaningfully engage in positive and sustainable change. If you are in your 20s and 30s and are interested in participating in the Hackathon, which will take place at Museum of Vancouver June 25, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., go to jewishvancouver.com and click on “YVR’s Community Hackathon.” For more information, email Eliane Nevares at [email protected].