Hack for Western Mass 2014: Introducing a Culture of Civic Engagement

Hack for Western Mass 2014

Once again, National Priorities Project sponsored Hack for Western Mass, an annual part of the National Day of Civic Hacking.

The 2014 edition of Hack for Western Mass brought more than 100 civic hackers together in Holyoke, Massachusetts. These non-profit organizations, technologists, designers, and concerned citizens worked through the weekend to analyze data on homelessness and regional employment, develop a mobile tool for finding food resources, and create a public art database, among other things.

In addition to the great work that got done, we loved seeing many kids, teens, and young adults jumping into the civic hacking fray. As one teenager from Girls Inc. Holyoke asked in her presentation, “Look what we did in an hour—what can you do?”

Here’s a summary of the weekend. Pay attention to those kids and teens: they're the next generation of federal budget advocates.