Tech, Rebalanced hosted its revamped hackathon and training day. Here’s what happened

D.C.-based Tech, Rebalanced has always provided a noncompetitive space for coding, creativity and civic activism for beginners and advanced professionals alike. In years past when the nonprofit was operating under the name Tech Lady Hackathon, the organization hosted an annual hackathon and training day event. But this year was a little different.

In July, the organization announced that it would be establishing an advisory board, making some leadership shifts and pursuing new goals. One of those goals was to build a stable, consistent organization and event that can be carried on for years to come through a new annual event called Tech, Rebalanced Hackathon and Training Day.

Held on Oct. 19, the event was a day for underrepresented genders in tech to get together for civic hacking, training and community building in a welcoming environment. Hosted at MakeOffices DC at the Wharf, the day centered around futurism was filled with three different hacking projects and 25 workshops and discussion groups focused on Drupal, automation, growing as a person of color in tech and more.

& that’s a wrap for #techrebalanced 2019!

Thank you to our speakers, volunteers, advisers, sponsors and every single attendees who showed up and made this space special. pic.twitter.com/08sK7bMNrH

— Tech, Rebalanced (@Tech_Rebalanced) October 19, 2019

Attendees contributed to three hacking projects, with many attendees working on the projects for the entire day, Tech, Rebalanced organizer Kelly Miller told Technical.ly.

The three different hacking projects, with prompts provided by Tech, Rebalanced, were:

• Utopia by Lourdes Ashley Hunter — What if we lived in a world that didn’t murder Black trans women simply for existing? What if there was an opportunity to use technology to create tools for Black trans women to navigate a world filled with transphobia and anti-Blackness? The average age of a Black trans woman is less than 35 and the average annual income is less than 10K USD. What if we created a tool that cultivated healing strategies, restorative justice and economic opportunities?
• Raunty by Tanzima Chowdhury — The idea is that women can vent their issues to an AI “aunty” who will, in turn, give them advice. If they want more customized advice, they can opt for a human “aunty.” The inspiration behind this idea came from the limited access that we have to the knowledge of older women, especially those who want to engage with a younger generation and do not know how or where to bypass the digital divide. At the same time, this is also a space for women across generations to learn from each other.
• DC Abortion Fund — This project is a case management system for the DC Abortion Fund (DCAF), an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that gives grants to people in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia who cannot afford the full cost of abortion care. Its primary goal is to simplify routine case management processes, such as keeping track of patient data, pledges and contact information.

Here’s what else happened:

We set up a #drupal8 site on @getpantheon and went thru content types, user roles and permisskons, and views and a bit about extending modules and seeking Drupal themes. Great work #TechRebalanced @Tech_Rebalanced pic.twitter.com/CuAr89tFL0

— M Nikki Flores 🌈🌺🌿🌞🎵🦋🌎🇺🇸 (@monicasflores) October 20, 2019

We were thrilled to participate in @Tech_Rebalanced today, a gathering designed to create space for underrepresented genders in #tech. Thanks to everyone that joined our workshop about capturing and sharing user #feedback from at-risk communities. pic.twitter.com/D8e4uJ986v

— USABLE (@USABLE_tools) October 19, 2019

Wrapping up #TechRebalanced now! What a magical day ✨ pic.twitter.com/s7bf5VsOAJ

— Joy Whitt 🏳️‍🌈✊🏽 (@joymwhitt) October 19, 2019

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