After an adventure of 5 stops, we arrived at the station with our anti-corruption Hackathon at a symbolic event filled with emotions – the grand finale.
19 young participants from 3 high schools and gymnasiums of Lezha worked as part of 9 different teams to bring their prototypes before the jury, 9 well-thought-out and meticulously worked solutions.
Some of them were participants in the first edition of the technological training courses that H.A.N.A is implementing, so the Hackathon was a good practical exercise to consolidate their knowledge. Others, ICT students from the Professional High School ‘Kolin Gjoka,’ welcomed a challenge to sharpen their skills. And some others, enthusiasts of the field, and of course, previous attendees of the center. Their prototypes belonged to 3 categories; Applications, Web Development, and Multimedia.
When opportunities are given and utilized, a relatively small municipality like that of Lezha does not have to stand low and not make a difference in the quality of professional training it offers to young people even from sources beyond mainstream curricula schools. H.A.N.A’s Hackathon proved this!
Challenged by our grand intervention ‘THRIVE’ and with the valuable mentoring of our colleague Jetmir Shtjefni, we concluded the first edition of the Anti-Corruption Hackathon 2024 in Lezha. Many friends joined us and showed solidarity with the participating youth and this was a contributing factor for their morale and ours!
The jury was made up of professionals representing relevant structures and institutions for education and professional skills/employment of young people; Mrs. Irma Lohja – Public Professional Training Center in Shkodra, Mrs. Lina Guri – Regional Directorate of the National Employment Agency Lezha, and Ms. Megi Duçi – Swiss Contact.
3 prizes were awarded, first, second, and third with respective identifying tockens. The ideas of the young people, revolving around critical thinking on how to address the phenomenon of corruption through smart solutions with a programming component, were worthy of admiration and unconditional support! H.A.N.A will distribute virtual passports of each prototype because now we are on a mission to find support for their development for mass use. Thus, we will familiarize our audiences with the team’s work and, at the same time, advocate for angel investors for them, putting the parties in direct contact.
Our gratitude humbly goes to each \person who believed and accompanied us on this journey.
