Vickathon - Experiential hackathon events for organizations, companies, associations, and schools to connect participants and organizations while solving problems in teams creatively.
Fostering Innovation Through Hackathons
Is your organization investing a lot of time, money, and resources in solving problems such as employee connectivity, efficiency, and implementing AI technology?
Imagine you save all this investment, and your employees solve the biggest organizational problems in one event.
Can you imagine what a crazy effect this has on motivation, connectedness, and efficiency?
Hackathons are events where employees gather together, and divide into teams that compete among themselves to offer the finest creative and practical solutions to the organization's challenges.
Consequently, your organization receives a variety of applicable solutions from its employees in one engaging event.
Our team has led many hackathons, including hybrid, face-to-face, and virtual events, for universities, municipalities/local councils, organizations, associations, national hackathons, and international hackathons.
We'd be glad to organize an experiential hackathon for you. Here are some ways you can reach us:
Fill in this form to contact us.
Or contact us by E-mail at [email protected].
Or schedule an online meeting with us via this link at your convenience.
✓ Fostering innovation in the organization that stems from the ground
✓ Engaging employees and creating a sense of partnership
✓ Developing employees and empowering them
✓ Leveraging the wisdom of the masses
✓ Multiple solutions to the organization's challenges in a short time
✓ An experiential and team-building event with impact
Would a Hackathon Be Suitable for Your Organization?
Hackathon is a combination of the words Hacker and Marathon.
In case you think hackathons are only for high-tech companies, then think again.Hackathons are events suitable for any organization that wants to produce an innovative and team-building event, where employees and stakeholders solve challenges together in a creative way through teamwork.
Hackathons are social events that connect employees and allow them to express their strengths and abilities with the goal of solving a meaningful challenge.
Hackathon events encourage innovative and creative thinking among the participants.
During this time-framed event, the participants experience teamwork, collaborative thinking, goal-focusing, brainstorming for solving a challenge they are faced with, and presenting it in front of the other participants and a panel of judges.
Hackathons are experiential events that help participants get to know more aspects of their teammates and, at the same time, help the organization solve problems and challenges.
The competitive atmosphere in the hackathon adds to the team's sense of determination and consolidation.
In the end, the participants vote for their favorite ideas, and the winning ideas are chosen according to the judges' decision.
The hackathons can be in face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual format, all according to the organization's nature and locations across Israel and worldwide.
Watch this tutorial in which Galit Zamler describes what a hackathon is? What happens at hackathon events? And why lead a hackathon in the organization? (In Hebrew)
Virtual Hackathons are just like real-life hackathons, except that they are done online remotely while participants are away from each other.
As in every Hackathon event, in an online hackathon, participants are organized into teams and develop their creative idea for a venture to solve a challenge or a problem on a particular topic.
The Vickathon team offers to organize your hackathon from A to Z; virtual, designed, and experiential hackathons over Vickathon. The teams will develop their ideas together on a shared online file, tailored specifically to their age and the chosen topic.
A hybrid hackathon is a combination of the in-person hackathon, which takes place physically face-to-face, and the virtual hackathon, which takes place online.
The hybrid hackathon allows maximum flexibility for both the organizers and the participants.
The hybrid hackathon can be held in a wide variety of online and offline combinations. Along with the benefits of combining the two, it should be noted that there are challenges that this combination poses. We have already led some successful hybrid events while using our Vickathon internet app, making the combination work great.
Organizing hackathon from bottom to top includes:
✓ Accompanying the planning and execution of the hackathon in all its stages, starting from forming the concept, through preparing the call for proposal, teams' forming, and up to the winners' announcement.
✓ Establish a customized online file for you on the Vickathon web application on which the teams will develop the ideas.
✓ Online training sessions with the leading teams in preparation for the hackathon.
✓ Organizing and leading a launch event and an announcement event of the winners for all participants together. As well as leading and hosting the hackathon event.
✓ Guiding the participants, mentors, and judges before and during the event.
✓ Enrichment lectures and workshops during the competition to enhance the participants' experience.
✓ Managing the judging process and ranking the projects according to predefined criteria.
✓ Professional tutorials are integrated into the online shared venture file.
✓ A technology means of organizing multi-participant online meetings such as Zoom.
✓ Certificates for all participants, audience favorites, mentors and winners
Over time we felt we needed a dedicated system to host hackathons. We searched the market and found no tool or system that does everything we wanted for leading experiential hackathons and which contains all functions we looked for. Therefore, we developed such a system and ensured that it would be an internet app, so users could connect from anywhere and any device. The system gives us an advantage in running hackathons in many aspects:
1) Allows running a virtual hackathon to an unlimited number of teams and participants simultaneously.
2) A friendly, visual, and intuitive interface for developing project ideas.
3) The online venture file includes short, ready-made tutorials.
4) Embedding all related venture files within the online venture's form.
5) Access of participating teams to the online venture file from any device anywhere, anytime.
6) Updating and synchronizing the online shared file in real-time.
7) Adjusting the design, content, and tutorials to any audience niche, age, or language.
8) Addressing questions to mentors and getting their answers on the online shared venture file.
9) Exposing hackathon projects to all participants. It also opens them to online voting, choosing audience favorites, announcing the winners, and awarding a virtual medal.
10) Participants' privacy is protected.
11) The hackathon organizers can send instant messages to all participants during the event.
12) One of the problems with hackathons is the loss of information that came up during teamwork at the event. The Vickathon system solves this problem. All the ideas and all accompanying documents remain available and accessible to you in the cloud for the next year so the teams can continue working and develop their ventures.
13) An online judging system so that each judge scores teams assigned to him according to predefined criteria without being exposed to the score of the other judges. At the end of the judging phase you can watch the elaborate score of all the judges.
Who Are We?
Galit Zamler is an educational and technological entrepreneur. She has been organizing hackathons since 2014 to various audiences with an emphasis on the participants' experience. These events were a great success, and the clients come mostly by word of mouth. Galit is also the co-founder of the web application Vickathon - a dedicated system for running hackathons and entrepreneurial competitions and processes.
Galit Zamler leads the hackathons accompanied by professionals selected according to the unique needs of each hackathon.
To this day, we have led together and separately the in-person, hybrid and virtual hackathons to different audiences from Israel and abroad.
Along with organizing meaningful, experiential, and impactful hackathons, Galit Zamler has developed a format for conducting virtual hackathons exclusively for the Vickathon team.
As of June 2023, the Vickathon format was purchased as a franchise for distribution in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
EFK Vietnam implemented our virtual format in Vietnam with great success.
Galit Zamler was selected as one of the women ambassadors for the Women Tech Network competition with the Vikathon venture for leading experiential hackathons.
Besides, Vickathon was selected as one of the top 50 ventures in the Startup Wheel 2020 international competition.
On the occasion of International Women's Day, Galit Zamler was invited to an event by the Municipal Innovation Club in Rehovot about women leading innovation. Her topic was promoting innovation in organizations through hackathons. She briefly explained what a hackathon is? What happens at a hackathon? And why do organizations host hackathons? (In Hebrew)
Reckitt Benckiser led another hackathon with us this year on the topic of body image and self-image for young girls from all over the country.
This hackathon is called Veet Challenge#2.
It was a particularly empowering event that combined lectures and workshops by well-known influencers from social networks and the media.
There were 50 girls in 10 teams on each of the three first days. Each day, teams presented their ideas to a panel of judges, and two top ideas were selected by the judges, and one idea was chosen by the audience.
There were nine teams competing on the final day, all highly motivated to win. Upon entering the compound, they sat down to shape their pitches and presentations to win.
Three winning teams received pampering prizes after an extended judge panel heard all the ideas.
Veet's brand team will resource and implement the first-place winning idea.
Ariel University, in collaboration with Amazon Company, held the "Enough with Bullying" hackathon. Twenty student teams participated in the hackathon.
The challenge was finding technological solutions to bullying issues at all stages.
Participants in the hackathon attended two online preparation sessions where they heard lectures on bullying, entrepreneurship, and storytelling.
The hackathon lasted two days. Ariel University hosted the first day, and Amazon hosted the second day. Mentors from various fields accompanied the students, including entrepreneurship, technology, sociology, and education.
The ideas of the teams were ranked by a diverse panel of judges on the first day, and the best ones advanced to the second round.
The motivation of all the participants stemmed from the desire to help at least slightly solve the painful problem of bullying.
The hackathon was deemed a success, and three teams were selected as winners:
In first place: HoneyWeb - traps for catching pedophiles online.
In second place: CheerApp - a voice for the quiet children
In third place: Bulls.ai - A tool for finding children who bully and presenting that information to organization managers through a BI system.
This clip recaps the hackathon:
Shlomi Shemesh, from Amazon, summarized the event as follows: "Dear friends (legendary university and association staff, mentors, judges), I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time, care and giving - this is what made the difference and turned a good hackathon into a great one! I wish us many more initiatives in partnership with such a significant social mission!"
Dr. Anat Levy Raz, who was a mentor and lecturer at the hackathon, wrote: "Thank you for the privilege of being part of the empowering and creative space that you created with great professionalism and investment, and working together with you to provide value to our wonderful youth on a significant issue."
One of the participating students wrote: Hi, I wanted to thank all the organizers and those who participated. It was an inspiring experience. I enjoyed it and learned new tools. Thank you to the organizers and participants for their time and effort. You were awesome :). It would be great to have more."
The Bnei Akiva Yeshivot and Ulpanot Center decided to hold the spring conference in a hackathon-style.
36 management educational institution teams from all over the country (including Eilat) participated.
As in every hackathon, in this conference as well, the teams had to deal with a particular challenge during the day: preparing a work plan for the next academic year.
Beyond the challenge, we also ensured the event included the small details that characterize our hackathons.
Professional mentors from the management center accompanied the groups at various conference stages.
The steps guided the teams in the process of solving the challenge in different and diverse styles so that the participants experienced purposeful and progressive work as well as interest and fun.
The Vikathon app helped deliver instructions to all teams at various stages and meet deadlines. In addition, the teams used the NIR app - a dedicated system developed by the Bnei Akiva Yeshivot and Ulpanot Center.
It was clear that all the teams actively participated in the conference to crack the challenge. Thus the experiential event was also productive, and the participants left with the feeling that, on the one hand, it was fun, and on the other hand, they achieved their goals.
We occasionally stopped the teams' work to enjoy Ted-style enrichment lectures, refreshments, good food, and prayers.
As part of an annual seminar in Yeruhem, the Bat Ami association, headed by CEO Eran Valk, organized a hackathon for about 400 Bnot Sherut.
We held a Zoom preliminary meeting prior to the event to provide participants with the tools and knowledge needed to develop an idea for a project.
About 40 teams took part in the Social Embrace and Alleviating Loneliness challenge. With the help of mentors, the teams defined needs, came up with ideas to deal with them and developed one best idea, which they presented to a distinguished panel of judges.
From all the teams, three winning ideas were selected. They will receive guidance and support during implementation.
In the end, Shahar Haim, director of Bat Ami, wrote: "Thanks a lot for the hackathon. It was a very successful event and an important summit point for the seminary. Thanks for your leadership and support throughout the process."
or the first time, Ramat Gan Municipality's Department for Social Services held a hackathon called "Initiate for the Mental."
As this was the first hackathon event for the division's employees, most of whom had never heard of this term before, we held a preliminary exposure event. Our goal was to explain to the employees what a hackathon is, how it works, and why it is worthwhile to participate, despite the fact that it lasts for an entire day.
Noa Rayter, the department's strategic development and innovation manager proposed the hackathon idea. Noa and Ortal Oshri, with the help of a small team from the department and accompanied by Galit Zamler, turned the dream of running a hackathon event into reality.
A fantastic video clip opened the exposure event, creating a wow effect among employees and then on social media:
The event itself took place from morning to evening in December 2022. A total of thirteen mixed teams participated in the hackathon, including representatives of the Social Services Division, families and individuals with mental illness, mental health professionals, and experienced mentors.
During the day, the teams identified needs related to the hackathon challenge, specified them, proposed ideas to deal with them, filtered the ideas based on criteria presented to them to select the best ideas, developed them according to a prepared outline, and prepared presentations and pitches to present to a distinguished panel of judges.
It was inspiring to hear representatives of the ills and their families explain their challenges when they pitched their ideas.
Three winning teams were selected based on the judges' scores. The team that won first place will receive a budget and support to make their idea a reality.
Thanks to the cooperation between all participants, including Roi Zamir, who recruited an excellent team of mentors, the hackathon was a success.
Ariel Peleg, who participated as a mentor in the hackathon, complimented the Vickathon team. Ariel said at the end of the hackathon: "I've participated in 15 hackathons, but I've never participated in such a technological hackathon."
Here are some photos from the event
This year, Veet's managers in Israel decided to hold a hackathon to strengthen the brand and promote social values.
In July 2022, we led a four-day hackathon called You Decide. The target audience was girls between the ages of 12 and 16.
As we organized the hackathon, we made sure it would be an enjoyable and experiential event as well as a chance for participants to solve issues of self-image, self-esteem, and acceptance of others.
On each of the first three days, ten teams came up with ideas for ventures and initiatives, developed them according to an outline, and pitched them. Those with the best ideas advanced to the finals.
Well-known social network influencers participated in the hackathon. They gave empowering lectures and workshops.
The collaboration with the influencers resulted in substantial exposure on social networks, which led to a very high number of registrations for the hackathon.
The winning teams were invited to the final day at the end of the first three days. On this day, the teams improved their pitch. They presented their ideas to a panel of judges, which included Veet's representative, representatives of the student council and youth movements, and Mrs. Michal Tzafir.
Three teams won gadget prizes, and Veet will also implement the project that won first place.
These were four fun days in which the Veet brand gained a lot of exposure among the target audience and was perceived as a brand with values.
Ynet's online magazine summarized the event as follows (in Hebrew):
The CEO and President of the ELI Association, Mr. Eran Zimrin, has decided to lead an innovation process among the ELI community.
The ELI Association handles children who have been abused physically, sexually, or mentally.
Galit Zamler and Inbar Berger led a joint process for all members of the ELI community in order to lead change and improvement processes through the wisdom of the masses and provide an equal opportunity for all community members to share insights and suggestions, and ideas for improvement and renewal.
As part of the innovation process, we held several online meetings. In the end, a conference of three days was held in an atmosphere of vacation in Eilat. All participants attended frontal sessions during the conference. The sessions included both fun and enriching activities, and teams worked to develop selected ideas from all those raised, present them to the audience in an entrepreneur's pitch style, and vote for the best ideas.
The event ended with a sense of connectivity between the participants and motivation to make the changes proposed by the teams in favor of upgrading the association and its activities.
At the end of the innovative hackathon process, we asked participants to fill out anonymous feedback and answer the question, "How was your experience at the hackathon-style innovation process?" The followings are some responses we got:
"I was excellent, interesting, fulfilling, and instructive. Thank you so much!"
"It was excellent and instructive. This is my first time participating in such an activity. And the dessert (Eilat) - perfect!"
"It was great. Thank you very much. It was an event of collaboration that did a lot of magic. Thank you very much for the organization and patience."
"First of all, it was a very cohesive process. This may be a side goal but from my perspective no less important. In addition, it was done professionally, with impressive consideration and patience towards all the undecided/missing participants, etc. It put our organization into a challenging and focused mapping mode, just as we had hoped and expected. Thank you, and Good luck!"
"The process was very successful. Beyond the practical results, it also caused a higher motivation among the participants. The event management was very professional, and therefore successful, and the facilitator's contribution was significant."
"It was fascinating, solidifying, fun, and developing. We enjoyed every moment and felt a huge boost to our motivation and professionalism. Thank you very much!"
"Thank you, organizers. The process was very professional, organized, engaging, creative, and meaningful."
"It was essential. Hopefully, there will be a practical continuation of the hackathon results. Thank you."
At the beginning of July 2021, we led a hackathon for the Suicide Prevention Unit within the Ministry of Education.
The challenge presented to the teams was to upgrade the different plans of the program developed by the unit and prepare a catchy and witty sticker that will be published in various media means.
Each team received and worked on a different module of the program.
The teams worked under a tight schedule, which challenged them and brought the best out of them. Thanks to them, the program will be upgraded :)
Alongside a combination of creativity, innovation, teamwork, and everything else a hackathon brings with it, the teams have managed in limited time to accomplish meaningful and applicable outcomes.
That way, in just a few hours, the teams managed to accomplish results that usually take lots of time to achieve.
The event was held virtually, using the Vickathon system for leading experiential hackathons.
After a day like this, we feel like doing something meaningful.
The "Remembering the fallen, and standing by their families and relatives" hackathon was addressed to the entire public in Israel. The event was participated by teenagers, preparatory students, students, high-tech employees, people who this theme is close to their heart, and senior citizens as well.
The goal of this hackathon was to recruit the help of the startup nation in order to come up with technological solutions for keeping the memory and commemoration of the fallen soldiers of the wars of Israel and victims of actions of terrorism, and for providing an answer to the day-to-day challenges of those who are coping with grief, disabled IDF soldiers, post-traumatics, victims of terrorism, their families and relatives.
The hackathon event lasted for a day and a half and was held in a hybrid format; at entrepreneurship centers and online, the teams were provided with maximum flexibility to participate in this event.
The significant theme that was chosen touches deep in the heart of the Israeli society, and so, even though the hackathon event took place during a war and under rocket attacks (the "Guard of Walls" operation), 25 teams took part. They came up with practicable ideas for solving the challenge that was presented to them.
You could say that this was one of the most successful hackathons that ever took place in Israel and if only for the reason that out of those 25 teams, nine teams chose to move ahead and turn their idea into a project that was presented during the hackathon.
Galit Zamler and Inbar Berger, who produced the hackathon from beginning to end, are aiding the teams by getting them in contact with the right people who can contribute experience, skills, and connections to realizing the projects.
All those who took part in the event received a certificate of participation soon after the hackathon ended, and so did the winners, crowd favorite, and the professional mentors who accompanied the teams and did so out of goodwill and with great patience throughout the hackathon.
Below you can read a selection of comments from those who participated in the hackathon:
Aviad Turm, a member of the winning team:
"Galit and Inbar, thank you so much for hosting this amazing hackathon event. It was a pleasure being a part of it!"
Moran Talmor, a member of the team that won second place:
"Thanks for an exemplary organization, the wholehearted effort, the support and availability you showed every single moment. We took great pride in taking part in this hackathon and got to recharge with hope from all the work we were exposed to through this hackathon...The event was so well-invested, down to the fine little details."
Roma Timoshpolski, the CEO of "Yozma Tech," a judge in the hackathon, and the primary prize giver:
"The event was organized to perfection. It's a national mission despite this challenging time. I wish you to succeed!"
Attorney Adi Barkan, mentor and a judge in the hackathon:
"Dear Galit and Inbar, thank you for a brilliant leading and professional execution. It was really great to be a partner in the process. Well done!"
The Vickathon team ran an international virtual hackathon for leading educators who participated in an online course by MASHAV - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The hackathon dealt with the challenges of education and loneliness caused by the coronavirus.
All participants were divided into teams and worked together, each from their own country, on a shared online designed file.
The online file was tailored specifically for them over Vickathon.
After uploading ideas (ideation stage), the participants chose the best idea, developed it according to the online shared file sections, and watched short and enriching tutorial video clips.
From time to time, we took breaks, as in every hackathon, where we had enriching and fun activities.
We ended the event with pitches, and each of us voted for three favorite ideas. That's how we determined the audience's favorite ones and who won a virtual medal.
Everyone enjoyed the competition very much, as one can see from the following:
"It's a very amazing experience. I like it."
"Enjoyable experience."
"Very interesting experience. You are all great."
"It is a really interesting program!"
"Thank you very much for the value addition."
"Hey! I like the site we have used for the hackathon."
"I would like to know more about it. Thank you."
The t-hub students at the Technion institution participated in the Entrepreneurship Fundamentals Course.
Dr. Dina Raphael, the course facilitator, led an online hackathon for students.
Ten groups of students came up with ideas for social ventures with business feasibility.
At the end of the virtual hackathon, Galit Zamler received a certificate of appreciation for Vickathon's contribution to the online event's success.
In November 2020, and in light of the satisfaction with the experience of using the Vickathon, Dr. Dina Rafael chose to lead two additional hybrid hackathons for her students of two entrepreneurship courses she leads.
Galit Zamler participated in online sessions with the students from both courses to introduce them to Vickathon, in which they develop their ideas for ventures.
A delegation from South Korea visited Israel in 2019 as guests of the Mashav at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The participants took part for the first time in an activity based on hackathons. Presented with challenges, the teams were asked to think of creative solutions. The participants themselves then selected the most successful ideas.
A hands-on workshop was held at the event to demonstrate the need for participants to acquire skills from the entrepreneurship domain in order to succeed in today's changing world.
Participants enjoyed the event and learned about the startup nation.
Galit Zamler conducted a Hackathon-style preparation day at the religious school, Hevron for boys, in Kiryat Arba led by Rabbi Shlomo Levinger.
This was the first time the school staff attended a Hackathon. The goal of the event was to develop applicable and well-planned initiatives that will improve the school climate and improve student achievement.
During the event, the teachers were exposed to enrichment lectures on Israel as an entrepreneurial state and the importance of entrepreneurship education. They also learned about models to develop projects based on a business plan.
The teachers took part in creative thinking workshops, learned how to present an idea, and enjoyed an activity on entrepreneurial skills as life skills.
Teachers had an experiential and practical learning day, during which they came up with many ideas for the initiatives, and built work plans for ten initiatives that achieve the defined goal. All initiatives can be implemented at the beginning of the school year.
By the end of the event, a competitive vote was held, and four leading initiatives were chosen, which teachers will lead to realization.
Galit Zamler led a day of preparation for the staff of the "Alonei Mamre" school headed by Mrs. Yael Klein, in the style of a Hackathon in the context of the school vision.
Before this day, the teachers had gone through a process of raising dreams and defining a school vision with Mrs. Ayala Fisher, so the Hackathon was called "From Dreams to Initiatives."
At the event, the teachers worked in pre-defined groups, raised many ideas for initiatives that fulfilled the vision, and then filtered them according to the criteria defined by the management staff.
Although the process of screening ideas was challenging, each team chose only one idea and developed it according to a business plan model.
The teachers presented the final ideas to their peers, and they were put to the vote. Thus, three final ideas were chosen to be implemented by all the teachers, according to their preference.
All of the teachers' ideas for initiatives that did not reach the final stage will serve as a repository for projects for future realization.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Education through the Pisgah Center in Kiryat Arba, the Gush Etzion Regional Council, the Efrat Council, the Herzog Academic College, and the Mattei Yachdav organization, a regional Hackathon was organized for principals, teachers, students, and parents.
The theme of the event was "A Winning Integration of Students in the Classroom."
At the next stage, Galit Zamler explained to the participants what a Hackathon is, and led an experiential workshop on the 21st Century's skills, which enabled the various team members to know each other's strengths.
From here, we moved to a brainstorming session and raised ideas for teaching adapted to all students through a future-oriented pedagogy.
Each group chose their best idea, presented it to the attendees in an entrepreneurs' pitch style.
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Our hackathons are face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual, tailored to each school's needs.
Hackathon events for students, teachers, and school directors in elementary, junior high, and high schools are focused on entrepreneurship. They are refreshing, varied, and encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset, creativity, and teamwork.
As a tech and educational entrepreneur, Galit Zamler was the first to lead in 2014 a hackathon for 4th to 6th graders from four different schools across Israel. Since then, hackathons have become common events in the education system and schools. They aim to encourage innovation, creative and entrepreneurial thinking, teamwork, and instill other skills in a time-framed event.
The hackathon events were customized to the schools' needs regarding the participants' age, study hours, contents, pace, and various abilities. So, since the first hackathon for students in 2014, which was a big success, we've been leading many hackathons for students, teachers, and principals. Some of them were international hackathons events.
Though the hackathons originate from the high-tech world, as you will understand from reading this page, hackathons have no age limit. Our hackathons in education were attended by children, both boys and girls, teenagers, teachers, principals, and educators from Israel and abroad. Other hackathons, which we led, were also attended by senior citizens :)
We hold the flexibility to lead hackathons in different ways thanks to using a unique system we've developed called Vickathon for leading experiential hackathons to an unlimited number of participants.
Vickathon is part of the 5th cohort of the EdStart program. This is a unique national program of the Ministry of Education. It collaborates with the Ministry of National Digital, Digital Israel, the Taasiyeda Association, and the Israeli Association of Advanced Industries (IATI). It identifies exceptional and groundbreaking educational-technological ventures, empowers them, and helps them grow and create a broad impact on the education system.
At the end of the program, Mr. Eitan Kleinman, the head of the program, wrote: "Dear Galit, it was a pleasure having you taking part in this program. The small waves of change you're creating in the field of educational entrepreneurship in Israel and around the world are reaching new heights that you can't even fathom the magnitude of their impact. This is what the power of education can do. Thank you so much for partnering with EdStart. Wishing you many more successes in the future."
We have summarized the experience of leading hackathon for students in ten sections that will help you organize the perfect event:
1) Dividing the event into stages.
2) Harnessing of accompanying teachers and having them actively present throughout the hackathon is vital.
3) Make sure to choose mentors of both genders who will support the students out of goodwill and with lots of good vibes. Hold a preliminary meeting with the mentors.
4) For the hackathon to be meaningful, pay attention to the process that the students are going through and on empowering them.
5) It's recommended to prearrange the teams in advance.
6) Prepare an idea generator that will help the participants to come up with ideas for projects regarding the hackathon theme.
7) Ensure a dynamic event that combines lectures, workshops and breaks.
8) Use gamification all throughout the hackathon and create an anticipation for the next steps.
9) Prepare and arrange the hackathon from the very starting stage to the end. As always, the success of an event depends on the planning to the small details.
10) And last but not least, all involved, without exceptions, should want the hackathon to succeed.
Galit Zamler gave a lecture on innovative learning through hackathons at the international GIFT event.
Samples of Hackathon Events and Entrepreneurship Competitions We Led for Students
Under the leadership of Mor Tirosh, the 5th-grade students of Brandis School in Herzliya gathered for two days of hackathons to solve the hygiene problem in the school's toilets. The event, which fosters an environment of a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in schools, was conducted in collaboration with the municipal health department, the parents' leadership, and Smadar Middle School.
23 teams were formed, accompanied by Samdar Middle School student mentors and parent volunteers. The students came up with creative solutions to the topic's challenges. Each team focused on developing one solution.
Several judges evaluated each team's ideas at the end of the event and assigned scores.
Each of the top three ideas will be presented to the Herzliya Municipality CEO with a view to implementing the solutions in all schools.
It was a wonderful collaboration between the two schools that empowered the student mentors from the middle school and was an inspiring model for the young students from the Brandis school.
As we conclude, Brandis School will bring the good news of improved education and health to Herzliya by choosing clean, choose healthy.
Hackathon comments:
"I must say that today was incredible! The event was well planned, organized, and went smoothly. The children had a lot of fun and learned a lot. Thanks!"
"This was a great experience for me, and I enjoyed working with my team."
Back when the Sadot School was just opened, the relationship with the principal, Talmor Klos, began. A variety of programs have been implemented since then to promote entrepreneurship and innovation education at the school.
For the second year in a row, the school is holding a hackathon for 5th-6th graders. Students came up with ideas for the "school of the future."
The students worked in teams during these two intensive days. On the first day, mentors guided them, while on the second day, they worked independently to develop their ideas. Among all the creative concepts presented, three ideas were selected for further refinement and implementation.
The three winning ideas:
The first place goes to Byo School - a semester schedule of study hours that is personally managed by the student.
The second place award goes to Connected, an application that provides support and resources so that no child feels alone in the classroom.
The third-place winner was Realistic Learning, a new learning method that includes workshops, games, and learning outside the classroom.
The school staff summarized the hackathon: "Thank you very much for the hackathon. It was very successful."
In July 2023, the three winning teams presented their ideas at GIFT (an association Galit Zamler is a member of).
Watch the students' pitches in English:
The annual science subject at Bnei Akiva Yeshiva in Givat Shmuel was "The Climate Crisis."
The high school chose to hold a hackathon on this topic for 10th-grade students as a means of experiential and innovative learning.
About 180 students worked a whole day in teams to develop scientific and technological solutions to solve the problem of the climate crisis.
Mentors accompanied the teams, and the solutions were developed according to an indicator presented to the students in stages in the Vickathon system.
Yael Ariel, the deputy director, conceived the idea for the hackathon.
The hackathon was an outstanding success, and the students also surprised Talia Zinger, the science coordinator at the school, with their creativity. She told them at the end of the event:
"I wasn't sure about running this event. Because I thought you wouldn't have ideas and that the teachers would have to come up with their own ideas and push to work on them. But I want to tell you that I was really deceived. You had many ideas and new directions. You are a cannon. All the ideas that came up here are yours. I definitely see scientists of the future here."
We also asked representatives of the mentors, students, and judges to share their experiences at the hackathon. Below are the main points:
The students stated:
"This day was a nice break from the routine and a fun way to learn new things. It was a great activity that promoted creative thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving."
"For me, it was an important day. Everyone who invested in work here discovered new things about themselves that they didn't know. For example, I learned to be creative, work on presentations, and cooperate with others. We learned to work under pressure on subjects we didn't know or were not familiar with. It was very fun, and we wish there would be more events like this."
One of the mentors said:
"You asked questions, and you looked for solutions. You did it professionally. I'm glad I'm part of this process."
Ezra Shamush, judge of the hackathon:
"You are probably familiar with the following sentence:
'When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He took him and showed him all the trees in the Garden of Eden, and He said to him: ???See My creations, how beautiful and exemplary they are. Everything I created, I created for you. Make certain that you do not ruin and destroy My world, as if you destroy it, there will be no one to mend it after you.'
We saw here innovative, creative ideas that can be developed in many more ways to address the problems our society is causing.
I enjoyed it very much. Thank you."
Yaholom Bukai, judge at the hackathon:
"I was happy to hear impressive ideas, something that made me very pleased and should make you happy too that we have a youth full of values and motivation to change the world
I met educators who enjoy teaching and are proud of their students. Also, I met a charismatic principal who inspires the younger generation and a charismatic school principal who leads the younger generation to continue productive and leadership activities."
The Winners' Prize
It was a privilege for the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva in Givat Shmuel winning team to be invited to a meeting day with ClimateLaunchpad entrepreneurs in Tel Aviv at the Italian energy company ENEL.
This visit was very meaningful to the students, and this experience has left an indelible mark on them.
The students watched the presentations of ten startup companies participating in the accelerator during the meeting. They also presented their winning idea to the entrepreneurs, who praised them. Also, they attended a workshop on giving presentations and standing up in front of audiences. A tour of ENEL's technological laboratories concluded the visit and inspired the students.
The visit was made possible by Eliashiv Minrabi, the accelerator's director.
Here are some photos from the meeting:
This is the third year we have led an urban hackathon for elementary and high school students in Ramat Gan.
This year's hackathon was in a hybrid format and organized by Liza Melnik and Shari Hezi, directors of the municipality's ICT department.
The hackathon was about sustainability and Ramat Gan's 100th anniversary.
There were about 220 participants in mixed teams of students from primary and secondary schools, teachers, students from the software engineering department at Shankar College, and mentors who developed technological solutions to improve the environment.
The teams worked from morning to evening and presented their projects to a panel of judges representing a variety of disciplines at the end of the day.
Students from Shankar College will implement the three winning projects as their final projects. Upon completion of the projects, they will receive a scholarship allocated by the municipality.
Some of the feedback we received on the hackathon is as follows:
Gil Rahav, hackathon mentor:
"Congratulations to Sarrai and Galit for organizing such a complex event in such a professional manner. Looking forward to next year."
Maor Be'eri, hackathon mentor:
"Today I participated, for the second time, in an education hackathon organized by Ramat Gan municipality. This year's competition focused on a topic I particularly care about, sustainability, but I always enjoy participating.
As I brainstorm with students, I see the joy of doing, the curiosity, and the speed with which they learn new things and become professionals in any field.
You just have to stimulate their thinking, and they will already find a solution.
My group - team number 10 - invented an irrigation system for buildings that collects water from air conditioners and channels it to build green roofs and hydroponic walls that cover the building. This reduces electricity and water consumption costs and lowers the temperature inside the building by up to 5 degrees.
Although we didn't win the competition, it doesn't matter at all.
Having the opportunity to learn, create, and learn in this room was an amazing experience!
Kudos to Ramat Gan Education for producing an impressive and honorable event and to everyone behind the event.
Many thanks to Sarrai Hezi and Galit Zamler for inviting me and organizing an elaborate and wonderful event.
I was happy to participate, and hope to come next year as well."
Zevik Bar-Lev, teacher
"The children enjoyed it so much. This is an indescribable empowering event.
Collaborating between schools, graduates, and young people has priceless value.
Thank you very much for the opportunity. It's an experience the children will never forget."
Ma'ayan, teacher
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It was fun. In collaborating with other schools and with the students, the students learned a lot! They left very happy."
Rotem Letzer, teacher
"The students gained a lot of experience and are grateful for the opportunity to participate in the event!"
Tal Amrani, teacher
"Kodus on the professional, valuable, and sustainable hackathon.
It was meaningful learning. The children really enjoyed the day.
Thank you."
Iran Yerushalmi, principal of Alon High School
"Thank you very much for taking care of all the small details, the production, and professionalism.
Our students were excited about learning and researching throughout the day."
Osnat, teacher
"What a high-quality, professional, and challenging project.
The children had a lot of fun, and so did the accompanying teacher."
Baruch Maman, teacher
"Kodus to all the organizers for thinking about every detail.
It was charming and fantastic management of a successful hackathon."
Eitan Kleinman, judge
"Participating in the Ramat Gan hackathon again this year was a pleasure.
Everyone involved in the hybrid, multi-age hackathon invests their time and energy into it.
Well done Sarrai Hezi, Galit Zamler, and all the education staff, the authority, and last but not least, the students."
Racheli Ben Amram, lecturer
"Galit Zamler, I enjoyed every moment.
Great teams and amazing ideas.
It is always a pleasure to work with you. You are a professional!"
Sarrai Hezi, the hackathon leader
"God bless you, Galit! Thank you for your support and for inventing a platform with an excellent methodology for managing online hackathons!
Thanks to Galit Zamler, producer #1! For the fact that you understand my head and flow with me to realize crazy ideas."
The municipality of Rosh Haayin City in Israel led the hackathon with us for students in grades 6 and 7 from all the Hemed schools in the city.
The idea to lead the hackathon came up from the mayor's deputy, Mr. Adi Avini. The hackathon theme was "Social Embrace and Alleviating Loneliness."
The hackathon lasted a whole day, accompanied by mentors, and took place in two sessions: in the first part, the students solved the hackathon challenge in teams in the sports hall of Noam Ohel Sarah School. The second part took place in the municipal culture hall. There the teams stood on the stage and presented their projects to a distinguished panel of judges.
Afterward, the Hemed community in the city gathered in the hall, and the winning teams were announced.
The prize for first place is accompaniment and support from the municipality in implementing the project.
After the event, Mr. Adi Avini wrote on Facebook:
"Rosh Haayin's religious education reaches high heights!
Our first hackathon in the city and in Hemed in particular was a fantastic success, with 15(!) teams participating in it."
Also, upload this video:
More comments on the hackathon:
Shira Chen, an accompanying teacher from Reut Elementary School, who won first place:
"It was an amazing experience, first of all!
I felt it was very professional, and it made me want to run a mini hackathon in our school.
Thanks to the wonderful mentors who were very attentive.
It is a huge honor for the Reut School to win first place. With an original and exciting project called "Amitim".
Thank you very much for an empowering and meaningful learning experience! I'm sure my students will remember this for many years to come."
Michal Cohen Yaakov, hackathon mentor:
"Congratulations to all the teams and to the champions in second and honorable place - Ohel Sarah School!!!
Taking part as a mentor was a pleasure for me.
I feel great pride."
For the second year, the Yohanni School in Herzliya organized a two-day hackathon for the 5th-6th grade students under the direction of Einat Ben Naim and the parents.
The first day of the hackathon took place at Naomi Shemer School in the same city. An entire floor was made available to the Yohanani school teams and the auditorium.
Each team was accompanied by a parent as a mentor. The success of the hackathon is largely due to the parents who supported and guided the students in developing the ideas for the ventures.
The students were extremely creative, and although there were thirty-four teams, the ideas varied.
On the first day, the students developed ideas, and on the second day, they prepared a presentation, a model to illustrate the idea, and a pitch.
Neutral judges were invited to the hackathon. They walked among the teams, heard the students' pitches, and scored them in the Vickathon application.
At the end of the second day, the winners were announced. The prize was to present the project at an international online event of GIFT - an organization that Galit Zamler is a member of.
In the photo, students of one of the winning teams are preparing to present the application they developed at the international event.
The fifth-grade students at the Weizmann School in Herzliya participated in a two-day hackathon on "Stop the violence!"
The hackathon was formulated due to the municipal parents' committee, informal education in the city of Herzliya, and the education department at the municipality.
A few of the comments we received after the hackathon are listed below:
Hagit Ifergan, school principal:
"Thank you for two empowering, educational, and enriching days. The organization was exemplary, and the attitude toward the children was sensitive, warm, and empowering.
We had a lot of fun."
Tzipi Sharvit, 1st-grade teacher:
"Dear Galit,
We were pleased to meet you.
The event was meticulously planned with all the small details.
Thanks to the wonderful Moran, who helped everyone, gave immediate feedback and treated each team individually.
A very experiential event for all of us."
Avia Malka, 3rd-grade teacher:
"Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.
The event was well planned at every level, down to the smallest detail.
The kids enjoyed it (and I must say, so did I).
It was a significant learning event, and everyone took part.
Thank you."
For a week, 14 teams of students from Israel, China, South Africa, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia participated in an online international hackathon on the topic "How will schools be like in the future?"
The students worked in mixed teams, so in each team, there were students from Ort Kramim High School in Karmiel and two other countries.
A meeting before the hackathon allowed the students to learn about the differences between the cultures and collaborate during the event.
Each team shared the challenges, difficulties, and needs they currently face in the education system, and together they developed solutions.
All teams presented their ideas to an international panel of judges who ranked the ideas. Finally, the winning teams were selected to present their pitch at an international online event.
Mr. Andrew, from South Africa, was greatly excited to see that his four students had won the hackathon because they were part of the winning teams.
Here is a summary of the hackathon from the various participants:
According to Sarit Segev, a judge at the hackathon:
"On the evening before the judging, I read into the night fourteen business plans, which were sent to me as soon as the teams finished writing them, in order to get to know the ventures and prepare for the judging. Upon reading them carefully, I was amazed to see that this age group experiences the same needs around the world.
Their problems and issues are similar. Their dream is to work together to make a positive impact on the world."{font"
According to Guy Almog, who promoted the activity in China:
"The hackathon was very successful and was an excellent experience for everyone. A big thank you, of course, to Galit for the special project that allows children from all over the world to take part and cooperate together in establishing joint ventures. Let's hope that with the decline of Covid-19 in China, we will all have more exciting opportunities in the near future."
Mr. Andrew Mogole from South Africa wrote on Linkedin:
"It was an exhilarating experience for all the learners. They where proud of their achievements. Our learners from SA and their counterparts from the Phillipines and Israel where overwhelmed with joy for winning the Hackathon. Thie young innovators from this year???s Hackathon have a great future ahead. Their ideas ???? are easily bankable.
Thanks Galit for letting this great young minds to be part of such exposure. We have to believe in our kids."
This video is from the last meeting where we concluded the hackathon event:
Eshkol Pais in Rehovot, under the management of Irit Davidovitz, led an urban hackathon for 9th graders from six schools on the topic of the global food crisis.
The hackathon, which lasted two days, was very successful thanks to the cooperation with the Faculty of Agriculture, startups, and leading companies in the food sector.
Mia Sapir Mir, entrepreneur, and hackathon mentor, summed up the event as follows:
"Well done to all the teams!
We met intelligent, curious, and highly motivated children.
And all the best to the organization. The hackathon production is really impressive! Children received tools that we would only receive in advanced degrees."
Ari Yolles, Product developer and a mentor at the hackathon wrote on Linkedin:
"Together, we provided guidance and support to the students as they worked to develop their ideas and presentations. It was a fantastic experience to collaborate with my colleagues and to see the positive impact we were able to have on the students.
The students were enthusiastic and full of energy, and their passion for finding solutions was evident. They worked in teams to develop their solutions and present their ideas to a panel of judges. The creativity and out-of-the-box thinking displayed by the students was truly impressive.
It was a refreshing experience to be part of the hackathon and to be able to guide these students on their journey. The future is bright with these young minds working towards finding solutions to the global food crisis.
I am proud to have been part of this initiative and to be able to contribute to the development of the next generation of leaders and problem solvers. The experience was truly rewarding and I can't wait to see how these young minds continue to make a positive impact on the world."
This is the second year that JNF Canada led with us an online hackathon event for students from Jewish schools in Canada.
This year we combined nature with accessibility, and that's how the hackathon got the name "Accessibility is part of our nature."
Nineteen teams of students in grades 7-8 from seven Jewish schools participated in the hackathon.
The students gained an understanding of the unique needs of people with disabilities by dealing with people with disabilities in nature.
The judges' panel included people intimately familiar with the need for accessibility. They ranked the projects accordingly.
At the end of the event, Sylvia from the hackathon leaders wrote:
"Thank you very much, Galit,
Thanks for everything. The hackathon was very successful."
Yehuda Friedman, CEO of Beit Galgalim. A judge at the hackathon:
"It was really touching to see how much you guys think of people with disabilities and how your generation will do whatever it can to make people's lives better. Having finished this hackathon, I feel incredibly optimistic about knowing that the wheel is in your hands now. The other judges and I trust you'll make it a better place. Thank you so much."
Students from Associated Hebrew Day School said:
"It was really fun doing a hackathon because we felt great involved in the disability community and that we could help and make a difference. I like how we collaborated as a group.
Teacher Katya from Richmond Jewish Day School:
"I found it to be an absolutely inspiring event last year as well as this year. Hearing these crazy groups of kids come up with so many ideas in such a short amount of time, then watching their presentations is just amazing.
At the Shazar School in Herzliya, the Education Department, in cooperation with informal education, organized a hackathon for 5th graders.
Ms. Hadar Timor, the school's principal, recruited parents, teachers, and community members to accompany the students during the hackathon.
Over the two days, students, already intimately familiar with mediation language, worked in teams, raised challenges and needs in the field, then proposed creative solutions.
There were 13 teams who prepared presentations, pitches, and models illustrating their ideas. Then they presented them to a panel of judges who ranked all projects, and finally, the three winning teams were chosen.
This document contains a summary (in Hebrew) of the event prepared by the school.
It is the third year that Hagimnasiya Harealit and the Vickathon team have conducted a hackathon for school students.
In the previous two years, due to the constraints of Covid, the hackathons were online and international. This year, we led the frontal hackathon to about 200 students from the 9th grade and 10th grades.
The hackathon lasted over two days. During the first day, 32 teams identified problems that exist today on various topics, proposed a wide range of creative solutions, and finally chose one solution that met the criteria presented to them. These were the criteria according to which the judges rated the ventures until the winners were selected.
On the second day, the teams prepared pitches, presentations, demos, and models, which they presented at the end of the evening to the audience of participants and judges. Each team received a short feedback from the judges immediately after the pitch.
Mentors accompanied the teams from among the parents and entrepreneurs from the first startup managed by Moti Kofito.
Amir Zuker, one of the judges in the hackathon, summarized the event:
"What's the best way to get inspired to move forward?
You can read a book about a fascinating character,
or watch a movie about a powerful subject,
listen to a podcast with a great interviewee,
or chat with the excellent mentor you have chosen.
Last week I chose to be inspired
in a completely different way -
I volunteered to be part of the judging team
at the hackathon "Creating a Better Future."
at the Hagimnasiya Harealit in Rishon Lezion
organized by the hackathon champion Galit Zamler.
Over 30(!) teams
sat, thought, and came up with ideas
to do better around us,
from learning solutions at school
through improving street and road safety
and to solutions for water shortages in Africa.
It was just WOW.
I met curious girls and boys,
champions, creative, and also competitive.
So competitive that at 10:00 PM
after the event was over
they stopped me outside for another half hour
to find out why their score dropped,
and what exactly is the score determined by?
and how to promote their idea
in the real world.
So yes, I got a lot of inspiration
amazing teenagers,
and I'm just happy about the track
that I chose in life that brought me
to a place where I have a lot to offer
and I had this opportunity to give."
The Amos De Shalit School's entrepreneurship classes, 7th, 8th, and 9th, participated in a joint hackathon. Teams selected their topics in advance from three categories: caution on roads, accessibility, and a safe lifestyle.
During an intensive day, students worked with mentors while meeting deadlines and focusing on the goal. The students identified needs in the selected topic and devised ideas to address them.
Among the ideas that came up, the students chose the one that met the criteria, according to which the judges chose the winning teams.
In a format similar to an entrepreneur's pitch, 14 teams developed ideas and presented them to an honored panel of judges, who provided immediate feedback to each team.
The first-place winning team will present their idea at an international event of the GIFT organization.
The school's entrepreneurship coordinator, Nitshia, wrote these words at the end of the hackathon:
"Galit, thank you so much for the wonderful hackathon. We all had a significant and experiential day.
I would like to thank you for investing so much and making sure everything will go smoothly. A special thanks go out to you for handling everything so gracefully and pleasantly.
I wish you the best of luck in the future."
Yael Dayan, who teaches entrepreneurship to students in grades 7-9, wrote:
"The planning and execution of all the little details made the day very successful.
In my opinion, everything was handled professionally and with a smile during the whole day, as stated by Nitshia.
Thank you."
Talmor Closs, principal of Sadot School in Pardes Hanna Karkur, and Adi Saporta, the coordinator of Zahav, initiated the hackathon on the subject of road safety, accessibility, and a safe lifestyle.
About 150 fifth- and sixth-graders participated in the two-day hackathon. During the event, the students thought of creative ideas for solving problems in the hackathon's theme, then screened the ideas and focused on one leading concept they developed.
The teams presented their projects to a respected panel of judges who ranked all of the projects, and so the three winning teams were announced:
In third place - a bonfire in augmented reality
In second place - a smart crossing
In the first place - a super stroller for the disabled
These are the models that the students prepared and presented at the pitch event:
The two days full of creativity and innovation concluded as follows:
Talmor Closs, the Sadot School Principal:
"Dear Galit,
We are grateful for the efforts, thinking about every detail, and the curiosity sparked by the children at our first hackathon at school.
Your entrepreneurial mindset and actions are truly inspirational.
And always with great kindness and humility!
Thank you very much!"
Adi Saporta, Zahav coordinator at the Sadot School:
"Thank you so much for the perfect event, for your professionalism and accuracy.
I could not have dreamed of anything better."
Eyal Tal, Communications Mentor, Strategy Consultant, Crisis Management, and Public Relations, hackathon Judge:
"Thanks for inviting me to attend the hackathon.
The students' energy, creativity, and innovative ideas give me hope for the country's future.
See you at the next hackathon."
Inbal Negbi, an expert in innovation processes and technological entrepreneurship in education, mentor at the hackathon:
"I've mentored at several entrepreneurship events in my life, but I haven't sweated like that for a long time.
This morning I participated in a hackathon on road safety, accessibility, and a safe lifestyle with sixth-graders at the Sadot School in Karkur.
The creative ideas of these champion kids blew me away!!
So what made me sweat?
- Need before solutions
- Focus, focus, focus
- Balancing between group members
Thank you, Adi Saporta, a brilliant entrepreneurial teacher, and Galit Zamler, the hackathon champion, for organizing this event.
And a big thank you to Talmor Closs for leading a vision of innovation and entrepreneurship in all subjects. I hope there will be more principals like you."
The Yohanani School in Herzliya hosted a hackathon of two intensive days for approximately 200 fifth and sixth graders to find accessible solutions for people with disabilities.
Principal Einat Ben Naim accepted the initiative of the parents' committee chairman, Yossi Zoaretz, to host the event, which is all about entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity, and many other essential life skills that the children had to demonstrate during the hackathon.
On the first day, we met at The Adelson School of Entrepreneurship at Reichman University (IDC Herzliya), where Prof. Dafna Kariv welcomed us with great energy.
The students then worked in 31 teams accompanied by mentors. Most of them were students' parents. In a tight schedule, the students developed ideas for projects to benefit people with disabilities, screened the ideas, chose the best one that met the criteria we set for them, and then developed it on Vickathon.
At the end of the first day, Rachely Ben Amram gave a lecture on making a winning pitch and a presentation.
The children worked on their presentations during the second day and created models to illustrate the ideas. They also practiced a 2.5-minute pitch.
All students presented their ideas to distinguished judges who heard their pitches and scored the ventures. Mayor Mr. Moshe Fadlon also honored us with his presence and was impressed by the children's creativity and products in such a short time.
We finally enjoyed eating pizzas as in a real hackathon.
Selected Comments on the Hackathon:
School principal Ms. Einat Ben Naim: "Dear Galit, I am still in high spirits. Thank you for an engaging, teaching, encouraging, and innovative day."
Chairman of the Parents' Committee, Yossi Zoaretz: "The main feedback I got after these two days were a gift for life for the children. Thank you for helping me give them such a valuable and essential present."
Judge at the Hackathon, mother of a special child, Liat Keren: "What a brilliant idea!!!! Understanding the difficulties associated with those with special needs, entrepreneurship, and seeing the other. It is not a slogan, but real! Absolutely practical experience. It's ingenious!
It took me two hours to tour the teams of fifth- and sixth-graders, who have worked hard to develop innovative products that benefit people with disabilities.
It was a pleasure to hear them and learn about their ideas. I wish more schools would adopt this event concept. And thanks to Yossi Zoaretz for conceiving it !!!"
The Ministry of Education in the Tel Aviv District wrote about the event on its Facebook page:
We held an international hackathon for students of the AMT program from Alumim Middle School and Rotberg High School in Ramat Hasharon with students from China.
Ten teams came up with creative ideas to improve the quality of life of the elderly.
This is a particularly painful problem in China due to the one-child policy and the transition of young people from villages to cities.
Students communicated with each other on the Wechat app, developed their ideas on Vickathon, and worked in rooms at Zoom accompanied by great mentors.
The students demonstrated the ability to work in teams alongside creativity, communication in English, openness to a foreign culture, work under pressure, search and process information, stand in front of an audience, etc. All these in one event that was spread over five days.
Eight judges listened to the teams presenting their ideas and scored them according to defined criteria. In the end, we had four winning teams.
In the third place we had two teams:
Team 9 - P.R.B. Project - A button attached to clothes with a headset that reminds seniors when to take their medication.
Team 5 - Medician Project - a wristband that serves as a virtual assistant that helps the elderly contact doctors, order medications online, make appointments on medical issues, and allow the family to be involved.
Second place won
Team 4 - A school for the elderly with a wide range of courses, which connects them with the community and helps them dispel loneliness.
In the first place
Team 1 - a tablet with a simple, understandable, and easy-to-operate design that allows seniors easy and available access to entertainment activities and company to dispel boredom using a touch screen and only three buttons.
Here is a selection of feedback on the hackathon:
Gil Marom, speaker and judge: "I was amazed by their creative ideas. They showed really good market research and pointed to real-life challenges in the aging population. Wonder what the future will look like for those kids."
Vered Adar, mentor: "Thank you, Galit Zamler, for the opportunity and the challenge of mentoring groups from Israel and China, working together to create a better life for the elderly population. It was interesting, enriching, and most promising. It is one world we live in, and as long as we do our best to collaborate, the better life we will all have here on our planet."
Livia Liu, Chinese student: " This is my second time participating in the Hackathon, and I can say this activity changed my life... This year I am much stronger, able to communicate with everyone confidently and fluently, and also able to provide good ideas for my group.
I hope everyone can get good memories from this experience and get some inspiration for self-expression, teamwork, and innovation, which is very precious."
Flower Fu, Chinese student: "This is my first time participating in the Hackathon, and it let me learn a lot of knowledge. My fear was that I would say the wrong words, and they would not be able to understand me. But after a few days of discussions, I found that Israeli children are very friendly, and they help with many things in our group. Their minds are very lively always have different ideas. Also, they're very good at making beautiful presentations. We are working very well together.
This activity improved my spoken English and developed my overall thinking ability. I learned very important things from them, like meeting deadlines. Thanks for organizing such a good activity, we are all winners!!! Great job for all of us! But still, Group 2 is the best =)"
Yuval Nakash, Israeli student from Alumim Middle School: "Even though it was my first time participating in a hackathon, I'm glad to say it'll take me some time to forget this one...My group members were super nice, and we really had a great chemistry!
Generally, I could tell only by a glimpse of an eye that each person who participated put 100% effort and creativity, to create the most innovative idea that would've helped the elders a lot!
I also learned about the Chinese culture, and how special and diverse is it- full of surprises.
Thank you for this experience."
Orly Gutstadt, Israeli student from Rotberg High School: "This is my first time participating in a vickathon.
I want to start by saying that It was a great experience, and I enjoyed working with my team and learning new things. I learned how to work better in a team and communicate and listen to each other's ideas. I learned a lot about the elderly, and I???m glad we found an idea for a solution to help improve their quality of life. Being part of a team made me feel more confident to share my ideas.
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to participate in this event. I want to thank the Chinese and Israeli teachers and my teammates."
For celebrating Tu Bishvat, the JNF Canada organization hosted a virtual hackathon for Jewish schools in Canada and students from Israel.
The hackathon's challenge was "How to Slow Climate Change by Innovative Ideas?"
About 130 students from different schools attended the hackathon and were accompanied by mentors from Israel to foster a connection between students in Canada and the State of Israel.
After teams presented their venture ideas for solving the challenge, a panel of judges scored the ideas, and four winning teams were announced.
The JNF Canada intends to continue developing the ventures of the hackathon-winning teams, thus creating a significant impact.
Summarizing the event:
Hannah Makmel, director of Jewish studies in Robin's Hebrew Academy, Canada:
"I knew this is exactly the opportunity our school was looking for. As we are encouraging and inspiring our students to become global citizens we're also looking to develop and implement action plans to tackle real-world issues that we're facing today.
This hackathon embedded those two important goals and has holistically integrated them with a holiday of Tu Bishvat and the very real issue of climate change.
Throughout this process I watched our students working cooperatively to identify a goal that is close to their heart.
I watched them put together an action plan, revisit their ideas to change and adapt, plan Zoom meetings, overcome the challenges of Zoom. But above all persevere and finally present.
And yesterday was a showcase of hope and a future I'm looking forward to.
I found myself frantically trying to keep up with tall the inspiring presentations. I took note of every idea and original thought.
I want to thank all of the students for your hard work. Thank you to JNF Canada and the organizing committee for your dedication and your vision.
See you next year."
Galit Moyal, the Associate Hebrew School, Canada:
"I was just blown away. Everybody's presentations were amazing.
Climate change is an important issue, and we were fascinated to see that the students came up with real solutions to real-world problems.
We talk a lot about 21st-century learning and making sure that the students are able to learn for the future, and that's exactly what we saw here; Students had to meet deadlines, collaborate and work together, come up with innovative and creative ideas to solve real-world problems, and we saw that throughout.
I think our students really persevered. They were amazing. It was a combination of excitement, teamwork, innovation, and creativity. It was just a great real-world experience.
Thank you all."
Lance Davis, CEO JNF Canada:
"We are so proud of all participants for your hard work and your dedication.
I'm really blown away by each and every one of you and what you bring to the table.
I want to thank the teachers and the schools and the mentors and the judges.
Everybody put so much work into making sure this went smoothly.
A special thank you to Yifat, Silvia, and Galit for your really hard work and dedication and for going above and beyond.
This hackathon exceeded all our expectations."
The second year in a row, Ramat-Gan Municipality hosted the hackathon "Stock Market of Innovation" for all schools in the city, accompanied by the Vickathon team.
The hackathon is a project of Sarri Hezi and Liza Melnik from the education department of the municipality.
The hackathon is named after the student Barak Hurri, who participated last year and was run over on Yom Kippur.
Students and teachers from 31 schools participated in mixed teams. Additionally, the city pooled resources. Each team was joined by a soldier from the IDF School of Computer Science as well as students from the Department of Engineering and Software at Shenkar College in Ramat Gan.
In spite of the challenges of the Covid, we held the hackathon in a hybrid format with experienced mentors.
Eighteen judges conducted online judging.
The hackathon was held to celebrate Ramat Gan's 100th anniversary. The participants were asked to illustrate the city's story from different angles using digital illustrations.
As their final project in Shenkar, the students will implement the projects of the three winning teams in exchange for a scholarship that the municipality awarded in support of the hackathon and their projects.
The hackathon "Stock Market of Innovation" was an empowering, experiential, and meaningful event.
The following are some quotes about the hackathon:
Orly Gerry:
"This event made children feel empowered, made them believe in themselves, and most importantly, taught them to dream together as a team and to fulfill their dreams. It was an amazing event, exemplary in its organization."
Mariana Ben Yosef:
"It is the second year the city students have been inspired and empowered. It is wonderful to see the sparkle in their eyes, their pride, and the joy of meeting their idea in reality. This event filled our batteries!!!"
Nili Avinon:
"As a judge, I really enjoyed the Hackathon. It was well organized. The projects presented were fascinating and engaging. Children were given considerable scope for action and accompaniment. Even on Zoom, the passion, excitement, and desire to improve life around us were evident, and the energies were at their highest."
Yafit Ido-Greenapel:
"There is nothing like watching teenagers talk passionately about real problems that bother them, and their ability to influence solutions to those problems. I hope there will be more of these events."
Margalit Mizrahi:
"The students enjoyed the process and learned from working with other students. They will remember this day for many years to come. Our thanks go out to the judging panel for believing in our idea and awarding us first prize. Our students are looking forward to the next hackathon!"
Sharon Hayun:
"The children experienced an extraordinary event that challenged them and motivated them to be innovative and entrepreneurial. The idea of uniting elementary and high schools, teachers, and college mentors is ingenious, and I hope it will continue with further initiatives."
Tal Amrani:
"Thanks for a meaningful day for the children and staff. Having children smile with energy in the sky after a learning day of about 10 hours is an indicator that learning is a result of motivation and enjoyment. I am proud to be a part of Ramat Gan's educational system."
Galit Zamler hosted a hackathon with youth from all over Israel, representing all religions and sectors, to come up with ideas to reduce the gaps in Israeli society, increase tolerance, and strengthen the connections between its various parts.
Bina and Ortov organized the hackathon, and the best of Israel's youth from leadership classes from ORT Schools attended.
Three winning teams that implement the ideas will receive cash prizes.
All teams wrote their ideas in Vickathon, and they can continue working on their ventures until the successful realization.
During Global Entrepreneurship Week, Teddy Kollek High School in Pisgat Ze'ev, headed by Ms. Sonia Refaeli and led by Ms. Merav Maman, held hackathons for its students of various grades.
The Hackathon Summit event led by the Vickathon team was attended by every hackathon winner that week. 16 teams and over 100 students attended this event. This event lasted all day and was held in a collaborative, proactive, creative, innovative, and teamwork environment.
Hackathon participants were challenged to find solutions to improve the leisure time for youth in the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood.
At the end of the day, the students presented their ideas with great presentations to an audience and judges. Then we announced the winners and crowd favorites.
Participants who participated throughout the week and summit day had a lot to gain from the experience.
Sonia Refaeli wrote:
"Dear Galit, thank you for such a professional, experiential and exciting event.
We look forward to working with you in the future."
Merav Maman summarized the event as follows:
"It was an amazing collaboration.
Dear Galit, It was an impressive event that was the highlight of the school entrepreneurship week.
It was absolutely a success, and it was just the beginning of doing something so important."
This is how the school described the experience on Facebook:
"Teddy Kollek High School had a record day during Entrepreneurship Week!
There is so much excitement and joy in doing.
Sixteen projects from the 8th, 9th, and 11th grades made the finals.
The winners of the hackathon are:
Third place - 'Cruiser with a smile' - This project aims to cheer up the residents of Pisgat Ze'ev - 10th graders.
2nd place - Give a Hand to Pisga - A learning center in which high school students teach elementary school students at reasonable prices - 10th graders.
The first place - * Photo Time * - Establishment of a collaborative photography studio where teenagers from different places can work together - 8th graders.
The judges of the competition were -
Batsheva Yehoshua from Manchi
Hadar Zatlawi - Municipal Youth Unit Director
Rivka, Eyal and Arik from Ipcha.
We ended the week with excitement, great experience, inspiration, and a great sense of pride in the children.
Thanks to everyone who took part!
This is how education should be done!"
The Gymnasia HaRealit High School in Rishon Lezion, under the leadership of Ms. Iris Ron and Ms. Michal Keren organized for the second time an international hackathon under the direction of Ms. Galit Zamler.
Five countries participated this time: Israel, the Philippines, South Africa, Vietnam, and India.
The hackathon involved 150 students divided into 22 mixed teams. Each team was composed of students from the Gymnasia HaRealit and students from another country. The entire hackathon was held in English.
The hackathon topic was 'How to Cultivate Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in Students?'
Students attended short enrichment lectures, took part in a workshop to develop entrepreneurial skills, and worked in teams to develop ideas according to a Vickathon system outline.
As part of the hackathon, we held four frontal sessions during Global Entrepreneurship Week, and students worked independently between sessions to advance their projects.
The teams presented their ideas to all mentors and participants and received proactive feedback.
The hackathon ended with the selection of three winning teams based on the judges' scores and crowd favorites selected through online voting.
Some representatives summarized the hackathon as follows:
Michal Keren, Deputy Principal:
"I would like to express my deepest appreciation for successfully completing 2021 the Gymnasia Harealit hackathon.
Dear students, you have definitely exceeded our expectations. Your professionalism is truly commendable. Your work has resulted in tangible beneficial results to both the community and schools. You put your hurts and souls into SEL. You have created adorable projects, one of which has been building communication and speaking the same language for the good of men kind. Wishing you all the best and luck in applying all those wonderful ideas."
Andrew, Team Representative from South Africa:
"Thank you, Galit, for running this hackathon. In South Africa, it's our first experience with a hackathon. It is amazing to see how these kids have so many ideas, and the universe's future lies in these kids. A change in the world will start with you guys.
Moran Talmor, co-lead of the hackathon and chief mentor, wrote on her Facebook page:
"This week was a huge privilege for me.
Participate as a mentor in the four-day hackathon.
On the subject of SEL (social-emotional learning).
Among other things, Galit Zamler, the person behind this wonderful project, promotes entrepreneurship and innovation in schools around the world.
It was a pleasure to see teenagers from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Africa, and Israel work together to find ways to make the world a better place."
Kfir, a student at the Gymnasia HaRealit:
"This was a very good experience. I really enjoyed speaking to other people from other countries and working on my English was a lot of fun.
Zoe, a student at the Academic Link School in the Philippines:
"When I first read about the hackathon, I had no idea what it was. But I'll truly remember the experience of working with different students and mentors.
Angelica, a student at the Montessori School in South Africa:
"We are all thankful for taking part in the hackathon experience. I think we all learned a lot from this. We are very grateful for this opportunity you gave us.
Eliana, a student from Vietnam:
"Thank you for introducing me to this competition. I have a lot of experience with new friends from around the world. For me, it was amazing.
A joint international virtual hackathon for students from the Nachshon's class at "Gvanim" Junior High School in Kadima-Tzoran, students from Excel Public School in India, and students from Aurora Boya Academy of Beijing in China.
The challenge presented in this hackathon was to find technological solutions that will help reduce the sense of loneliness and strengthen social connections.
This is the place to thank our guest lecturer, Anat Sever, for sharing her experience of feeling lonely as a child due to constant relocations her family had to make and how she managed to overcome it. Her story presents one perspective of the challenge the pupils dealt with in this hackathon.
This is the Welcome clip the students of all three countries made.
Summary of the hackathon from the participants' representatives:
Student Divijaa Arjun:
"It was truly a great experience and learning. Working with students across the globe, overcoming challenges, understanding each other's differences and developing a venture was indeed very exciting. A great platform to build connections. It was a euphoric experience. Sincere thanks to our mentors Srinath Birur, Lekha Nair and Jyoti Joseph and to the organizers of this Hackathon for making this possible."
Six-graders from the Tchernikhovski primary school in Haifa, headed by principal Doron Wienberg took part in an international entrepreneurship competition where they competed against students from China.
The students brainstormed ideas for projects in several fields that were presented to them. They've developed those ideas on the Vickathon- an internet platform used for entrepreneurship competitions.
All the competitors prepared a business plan and in the end, presented their ideas in front of a panel of entrepreneurs from Israel and China.
Beyond the competitive challenge, all those who participated dealt with the requirement to present in English, which was not their native language, in a remarkable way.
Ramat Gan's Department of Education, led by Sarri Hezi and Liza Melnik, planned a hybrid hackathon for the city's schoolchildren.
The hackathon's theme: promoting innovation in education
A mix of ten teams made of students and teachers from different schools across the city met, together with officers from Mamram in two different locations in the city. They developed their ideas of projects so they will be able to demo them. The entire hackathon lasted from morning till evening.
Throughout the day, the teams also took part in lectures and online workshops and enjoyed the atmosphere of good and healthy competition.
At the end of the day, the teams presented online their ideas for projects to a committee of honorable members who chose three winning teams.
The winning teams were handed some significant awards, which the city hall funded to realize the projects.
This is the first hybrid hackathon that Galit Zamler led together with Inbar Berger, and the combination of face-to-face interaction, the virtual arena, and the work of the teams on the Vickathon system, created an effect of excitement and interaction between the professional mentors who accompanied the teams and also between the groups themselves.
A selection of comments from all those who were involved with the hackathon:
Sarri Hezi, the hackathon planner on behalf of Ramat Gan's city hall- "I want to thank all the participants. This event wouldn't have been a success without your strong motivation. I know that you were left wanting more, and I'm happy about that. I promise that this is what motivates me to plan more events like these in Ramat Gan.
Once a year, we'll create such an event at the Education Week regularly and will make sure to create smaller events during the rest of the year. Huge thanks to Liza, who was a partner on this journey. Thanks to Galit and Inbar, who accepted me with all my craziness with such understanding and containment in order for this event to succeed. I was Sarri, and I came to make a positive change in Ramat Gan's education system. This was the first milestone. Have a lovely weekend!"
Racheli Nir, Yahalom School- "Thanks so much for this experiential, fascinating, different, fun, enriching, and educating day."
Shulamit Sol, Avigur School- "The children had a great time and came back filled with great enthusiasm!"
Einat Zevulun, Michalal School - "Thanks for a perfect day filled with lots of experiences, the children had a great time, and so did we, the educators."
Moti, Teleprocessing Coordinator at Ramat Gan's Makif High School- "Our students experienced a formative experience; Learning about the product development process as a team, experimenting with innovation, building a presentation for their pitch. It was worth it, and it left us wanting more."
Vered Ben-Dor Atid School - "It was a meaningful, experiential and inspiring day, combined with joined-up thinking and team work between the different schools. Children who began as strangers came out of this day as best friends and are already looking forward to the next joined meeting. Thanks for the opportunity of being part of joined-up thinking for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. It was an amazing event!"
Yehudit Liron, mentor - "This hackathon was amazingly organized! The teams created amazing things!!! I'm glad I was given the opportunity to accompany my team."
Orly Gerry, mentor - "I join the compliments. It was exemplarily organized. The support which each team received was relevant and accurate. Hats off to Sarri, Liza, and Galit and an enormous appreciation for the teachers that accompanied the students throughout the entire process and the entire day. I'm glad I was given the opportunity to witness such a deserved and wonderfully organized project. Thank you!"
Iris Weintraub, mentor - "I had the privilege of participating as a mentor at the hybrid hackathon for promoting innovation in the city of Ramat Gan. I had a fascinating day, and as a bonus, my team won second place!!!! Well done to Sarri for your initiative and to you, Galit, for the exemplary organization."
Update as of 7.2023
In July 2023, we attended an event that revealed Shenkar College students' ventures.
On the Facebook page "The Robot of Barak Hori" they summarized the event as follows:
"Shenkar College's end-of-year event.
We met again the students of the software engineering department who were the mentors in the "Stock Market of Innovation" hackathon in the name and memory of our son Barak.
Their products, which they worked on for the past year and a half, amazed us with their creativity, their innovative thinking, and the attention to detail.
Third place: The students created an orientation program in the city of Ramat Gan with educational content about every place you want to see.
In the second place, the students built an automatic recycling bin machine that recognizes waste sent to it and sorts it automatically.
And in the first place, the students created software that encourages children to take part in a personal commitment while getting to know Ramat Gan.
We were very excited to see how children's inventions and dreams turned into actual products that benefit the environment and society."
Dr. Yonit Rosho wrote:
"Both me personally and the students from the software engineering faculty at Shenkar have great pleasure and satisfaction from the fruitful cooperation between all parties.
You came up with the challenges, the lovely children developed them, and we implemented them.
It's all about teamwork. We look forward to many more years of working together!"
And Sarri Hezi wrote:
"When you want real, effective, meaningful education...
You don't wait to be told how, when and what... you just start!
The Ramat Gan municipality's education department promotes education at its highest level! Meaningful education flows through our children's veins..."
The Gush Etzion Council and its Department of Education through the Youth Department have decided to hear the youth of Gush Etzion and get ideas from them to strengthen the social resilience of the teenagers. This resilience was cracked during the Covid-19 pandemic, and now it's time to rehabilitate it again.
Ten teams of youth from the Gush Etzion gathered virtually. Come up with ideas that met the challenge presented to them. Members of the council, the Department of Education, and the Youth Department emphasized their own responsibility to promote and assist as much as they can in realizing the teenagers' ideas.
For most participants, it was the first time they had participated in such a competition. Professional mentors accompanied the teams with lots of patience. They helped the teens move ahead and guided them in formulating ideas for ventures and initiatives.
Those who took part in the event summed up their experience as follows:
Shlomo Ne'eman, Gush Etzion Council head:
"We are pleased and proud of our youth. Your participation, caring, and creativity are impressive. We are truly proud and foresee the future. Our main goal is to grow from this place. We've made this move to get true growth. Many many thanks to Galit and the mentors for the work you've put into this with dedication and creativity".
Samuel (Muli) Yeselzon, Department of Education, Gush Etzion council:
"Thanks a lot to Galit for organizing this entire event. I think that the idea and the implementation and that the teenagers can see themselves as influencing through the hackathon are wonderful. You've had the privilege to be guided by very talented mentors who helped you. I really hope that we would be able to take these wonderful ideas and make them happen. It's our duty to see how we can implement the ideas you have come up with. We didn't do this only for drawing ideas but also to take upon ourselves the commitment to see how we can turn the things you've dreamed of into a reality".
Hana Navon, Gush Etzion community center:
"We weren't surprised at all by our youth. We are aware that our youth is of high standard level, who throughout the Coronavirus pandemic have volunteered and helped the community's resilience. But we were very much impressed with your work, ideas, and initiatives. Now, our goal is to bring those ideas into life. We are proud of you".
Inbar Israel, mentor, CEO of ShalavHava- Entrepreneurship and business development:
"Those teenagers are truly wonderful. I will talk about the team I was mentoring, which I got to know in-depth. Those girls are so bright and very goal-committed. They worked together so well.
I felt I was around grown-ups. They are so intelligent and did everything so well as if they were mature entrepreneurs. I'm proud of you for the way you've presented your idea. You're simply fantastic. I wish you lots of success. I hope your experience was good and that you learned from this and will take with you all that you've learned here. You won anyway. I had a great time with you".
Amitai Isboutsky, one of the teenagers who participated in the hackathon:
"We had a great time, and we hope to participate in a hackathon again next year".
Rivka Palmor, one of the teenagers who participated in the hackathon:
"It was a meaningful experience. It's my first time participating in a hackathon. I thought it would be boring, but I had so much fun, both with my teammates and our mentor. Thank you all for making this event fun".
Ra'aya Yeselzon, one of the teenagers who participated in the hackathon:
"Thanks to all those who organized and worked on this event. It was enjoyable and enriching".
The Gymnasia HaRealit in Rishon LeZion, headed by Iris Ron and her Vice-Principal Michal Keren, had asked to lead a virtual hackathon for the tenth-grade students and students from abroad.
The vickathon team recruited students from India, China, and Hong-Kong to take part in a virtual hackathon for mixed teams with Israeli students.
The hackathon's challenge was "How to Make Live Online Learning More Creative and Exciting?". It was conducted in English and 181 students in total took part.
The hackathon was spread over four days, in which the participants listened to enriching lectures, worked in teams, did brainstorming to come up with ideas for projects that offer solutions to the challenge. They picked out their best idea and developed it according to an outline that was displayed for them on Vickathon.
The event from beginning to end demonstrated what learning should look like these days.
At the end of the hackathon, the school principal, mentors, and students summed up the event:
Iris Ron, the Gymnasia HaRealit School director, summed-up the virtual event:
"It was amazing. I would like to thanks all the participants for the wonderful experience of cooperation. Thank you, wonderful students, and dedicated teachers and mentors who have been part of the forces. Special thanks to Michal, Sagie, and Hen, who were the driving force to success. It was a special and exciting multi-cultural event. I'm especially thankful to Galit Zamler, who orchestrated the event very professionally and with great wisdom and sensitivity. Congratulations to the winners, and good luck to you all!"
Tali Tal, mentor:
"It's an amazing and productive process. It goes beyond entrepreneurship. It's about developing leadership and self-confidence".
Gal Benjamin, mentor:
"So many kids and everything went really great! The kids managed to learn and work with other kids from across the other side of the world, and moreover when you learn with joy, you progress faster, and their joint work led to an original and quality creation!! It was a real privilege to take part in this".
Tali Sheffer, mentor:
"It was amazing and inspiring to learn that our kids can come up with ideas and solutions. I felt honored, and it was important for me to be part of the work and the impact which is so critical and necessary in creating the tools that will teach us how to learn in another world which is dysfunctional but yet progressing".
Israeli students wrote:
"We reached this international hackathon a bit scared of the unknown of meeting peers from a foreign country but also with excitement because this is not something we take part in on a daily basis. Our fears and doubts had quickly disappeared when we learned that we were teamed with four other nice and smart students from China, and together we came up with this idea and built it. We collaborated great, and little by little, we got to know each other better and had a great time working together. Aside from creating an excellent idea, we came out of this hackathon with new friends and improved our English".
"Our experience in this hackathon was amazing. We got to work together with three terrific students from China, and through our conversations with them, we learned a lot about their school, the teaching methods in China, and overall about their country. We had so much fun during the entire work process, and we also improved our English".
Students from China wrote:
"The first time I heard this topic, like a newborn baby, I was puzzled and curious.
Until the first day of the activity, I learned that "Hackathon" means "hack and marathon," which means persist in innovation. Besides, it also took me five days to find out that "Hackathon" is an experience. It means precious friendship and lots of great benefits."
"Wealth is not a permanent friend, but a friend is a permanent wealth." In my opinion, an activity that can make good friends is the most worthwhile. During the five days of the Hackathon in team 21, I got to know many students from Israel, and we set up the WeChat group as well. As Israel is such an innovative country, there must be something that we can learn from them, for instance, Maya's leadership, Ron's activeness, Natanel's calm but skillful, and Ido's potential. In such a creative atmosphere, I believe that I'll certainly gain something useful.
In addition, what I've learned so far is confidence, interaction, and critical thinking. Many Chinese children are not outgoing at all, we are not good at expressing feelings either, but most Israelis are just the opposite. This may have a lot to do with the way education is conducted. Therefore, in order to make good the defect, I came to Hackathon and learn how to express myself confidently."
"I think this virtual Hackathon is very meaningful and I can learn a lot. I feel very honored to exchange and discuss with my Israeli classmates. I get along very well with them. Thank the teachers in Israel and China for giving me this opportunity to participate in this activity. This activity has trained my language expression ability and my innovation ability and gained a lot.
At the same time, I also thank the students in Israel for accepting my views. Understand that we sometimes dare not speak and take the lead. Take the initiative to make presentations and speeches. We feel very warm."
Students from India summed up the event in video-clips:
During the 2020 Global Entrepreneurship Week, Or Gavish, Galit Zamler, and Maayan Zweig led the first international hackathon for teenagers, discussing health, medicine, and welfare.
The hackathon spread over four days, during which the participants heard lectures on various subjects, on the hackathon itself, and on topics from the entrepreneurship world. On each day, the participants received a new challenge, on which they worked together over Vickathon. On the last day, the teens presented their ventures, followed by presentations, and received feedback from the mentors.
The event ended with the participants' voting for choosing the "crowd's favorites" and the judges' call of the winners, by predefined criteria.
The first place went to team number 21 from India, with a venture called - Alris, which uses artificial intelligence technology to monitor crowded places, identify sick people in closed spaces, and send alerts.
The second place went to three teams: team number 1 (I JOIN), team number 2 (Parkilas), and team number 10 (FamFun).
The third place went to team number 12. Their idea is about inventing an automatic cleaner for the bathroom. There's a moving story behind this team that shows how taking part in the hackathon empowers the contestants.
The A.D Gordon's school staff in Kfar Saba, managed by Gila Ben Yosef, led a whole day of a virtual school hackathon.
The preparation was done in advance; the school staff was briefed by Galit Zamler on how to plan a virtual event that is cognitive, cooperative, and innovative.
There was a lot of excitement surrounding the day, both among teachers and students.
During the day, the students learned the meaning of mutual responsibility, came up with ideas for projects and initiatives, and split into teams. Each team developed their idea over Vickathon, with the teachers as mentors.
The hackathon ended with the students' pitches, in which they professionally presented their ideas, for the purpose of recruiting everyone to execute as many ideas as possible.
In Rehovot, the De-Shalit Junior-High School decided to run an online hackathon for the students learning the Youth Entrepreneurship Program.
Yosefa Salomon and Michal Ben-Hemo decided on the hackathon's theme: Coping With Loneliness and Social Distancing.
The selection of the theme was made out of the understanding that it's a sensitive topic that concerns the students and their peers, whether it's a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which was forced upon us, and whether it's because of social boycott.
An eight-grader class led by homeroom teacher Shuli Darmon from the High School Nearby the University in Jerusalem joined the hackathon.
We run the hackathon over four days during one week. During its course, the students went through a process of brainstorming to raise ideas for projects, choosing a leading topic, and developing it at the Vickathon system accompanied by professional mentors.
The week ended with hearing out the ideas, receiving feedback, and announcing the winners.
Listed below is a selection of quotes from the participants of the hackathon:
Michal Ben-Hemo, entrepreneurship coordinator at the De-Shalit Junior High School in Rehovot: "It was quite an experience. The hackathon was a fascinating and interesting process that I also went through and took a lot from. The students worked in teams, put their heads together, and tried to solve problems in very creative ways. Our great achievement at the hackathon being part of this process. We've seen here some amazing projects which can be further developed. A huge thanks to Galit for the collaboration in the hackathon and the teachers, mentors, and students. It was simply a pleasure walking into the Zoom rooms and witness you working and thinking vigorously."
Shuli Darmon, the eighth-grade teacher in the High School Nearby the University in Jerusalem: "We also went through an amazing process. Our students were thrown in at the deep end, and they did an amazing job. The students' presentations and pitches were fascinating. The ideas were creative...well done to everyone for going through the entire process. It was fun doing the hackathon with another school. It was a wonderful and unique experience."
Ruth Moka-Omer, seventh-grade homeroom teacher: "It was an amazing week in which the students have done so much work. Working in groups was respectable and was held with a pleasant conversation. I had a great time. Thanks for the privilege of being part of this."
Ariel Avraham, a pupil at the De-Shalit Junior High School: "Taking part in the competition was really fun for me. I even learned new things about my friends as we were working. We laughed, had a great time. It was enjoyable. And we also created a wonderful project that we're proud of."
Mika Niron, De-Shalit Junior High School: "We got along really great in our group. We made all the decisions together, with each one contributing their part. We had so much fun."
Here are some of the mentors' experiences who accompanied the hackathon with outstanding professionalism and sensitivity:
Dana Goldring, artist and social entrepreneur, founder of Boser- professional community for artists who are getting started: "It was amazing, a wonderful group of gifted and caring kids - they are simply an inspiration. I would love to work with such a team!:) Galit Zamler, thanks a lot for the invitation and also for acquainted me with more talented entrepreneurs, I enjoyed listening to the feedback from all the colleagues and seeing all the great projects that were created under your guidance- you are all champions."
Ronit Meiri, consultant, personal and business trainer, using the holistic method, speaker, groups-facilitator, and owner of the business - Yes You Can: "The hackathon was interesting, innovative, highly constructed and conducted. I thought to myself - if this is what they're producing now, what will they come up with in the years to come. Galit, you're doing a significant job that can change many people's lives in Israel and all across the world for the better. I enjoyed listening and learning from the opinion given by the team that provided the feedback."
Maya Keleti, a graphic designer, specializes in designing and communicative language for children: "It was enchanting and fascinating to listen to the kids' ideas today."
Vered Adar, head of UI/UX, design thinking workshop facilitator: "Galit, you delivered the event fascinatingly and excellently. And the mentors who delivered their feedback did a great job with lots of affection and pumped the students with motivation. You've managed to transmit the feeling that implementing all of this is really within reach. You've also managed to convey messages of criticism positively and constructively. Well done to you."
A. D. Gordon School in Kfar Saba, under the administration of Gila Ben Yosef, is an incubator for self-expression and entrepreneurial thinking.
Towards the end of the school year, the entire school staff attended a Zoom training session with Galit Zamler.
During the meeting, the staff received guidance on how to lead a school Hackathon for the students, emphasizing the entrepreneurship experience, teamwork, integration of lectures, workshops, and the development of ideas for projects.
This is the first time that the school organizes a Hackathon for its students, and therefore they all were excited, both teachers and students.
In the morning of the event, Galit Zamler sent a message to all of the teachers:
"I'm proud of you that despite all the challenges in organizing a Hackathon nowadays, under all the restrictions of the Corona, you are leading a school Hackathon.
Thus you are giving the students an experience of entrepreneurship and creativity.
In doing so, you also serve as an example of a flexible mindset and coping with changing conditions, just like real entrepreneurs."
The Hackathon day was marked as a very experiential day, and Gila, the school director, summed it up in one sentence: "The kids loved the entrepreneurial thinking, and so did the teachers."
The pictures demonstrate the entrepreneurial atmosphere very well, and the abundance of ideas indicates creativity and openness.
School teachers summed up the Hackathon event as follows:
"I was pleasantly surprised by this day's success and the students' enjoyment.
I do not doubt that the kids enjoyed it because I came prepared for this day and got them all excited.
I realized that children, who never stand in front of a crowd, and some who are less talkative in school, suddenly stood up in front of the entire class and presented their ideas.
Great satisfaction to see how a child has succeeded in bringing himself to a position where he stands in front of the class and talks."
****
"The hackathon day (a combination of the words hacker and marathon) at the school, caused a great entrepreneurship celebration. We started the day with a class game that emphasized the differences between the students and the different way of thinking of each of us.
We discussed, "what entrepreneurship is?" And that entrepreneurship stems from a need or a problem. We experimented with creative activities where the children used their imagination and turned a drawing into something tangible.
We talked about teamwork, which is also one of the entrepreneurial skills. We watched a short film on that topic, and the students concluded that to succeed as a team, they have to trust each other, encourage, collaborate, listen, believe, and never give up. Finally, we read the book "What to do with an idea?". Following this, the children were asked to experiment with teamwork and come up with an invention together.
The children came up with some amazing inventions: a new ice-cream flavor: blueberries, strawberries and frosting, X-ray glasses, and Mr. emotions - a doll that enhances the baby's world monster doll and many other examples of fantastic ideas.
I really enjoyed the children and their endless creativity, collaboration, thinking ahead, and amazing teamwork. I would love to have such activities throughout the year.
Such days encourage creativity, collaboration, innovation, discourse among the students, and, most of all, high motivation and joy."
****
"This hackathon was very successful. Nowadays, the younger generation is used to have everything here and now immediately.
The hackathon met all of their needs and habits. It was dynamic, exciting, and engaging. Throughout the entire day, the students were exposed to the entrepreneur's expertise, stories, and problems (riddles) that made them think outside the box."
****
"This hackathon event took place at our school as a record day of initiatives marathon on a limited time.
The students enjoyed an experiential day rich in content on ventures, inventions, the process of carrying out an idea or a dream, a team collaboration to promote the initiative, and so on.
The students in my class had a great time. The vibe was good. The students thought about their creative initiatives, and I learned that you could find in each student some great ideas that only need an opportunity to carry them out."
****
"The hackathon in our class was very successful. It's our first time experimented on such a day of activities. This day allowed them to express themselves and showcase the skills and tools they acquired throughout the year.
This day's intensity contributed a lot to the students to do so much and in such a short time. We felt that they reflected what they had learned throughout the year on this day.
This day gave out good vibes in the class. The students were very excited to present their outcomes and worked hard on their pitch (60 seconds speech).
The students' outcomes were very impressive, and one could see they were working of genuine interest and curiosity."
****
"The hackathon that was held in my class was very successful. I have to point out that it was contrary to my expectations.
I was sure that it was going to be a "hard day" that would go to waste and that the kids won't really understand its essence.
But the kids demonstrated entrepreneurship at its best. They came up with creative ideas and thought out of the box."
During the 2020 Global Entrepreneurship Week, Or Gavish, Galit Zamler, and Maayan Zweig led the first international hackathon for teenagers, discussing health, medicine, and welfare.
The hackathon spread over four days, during which the participants heard lectures on various subjects, on the hackathon itself, and on topics from the entrepreneurship world. On each day, the participants received a new challenge, on which they worked together over Vickathon. On the last day, the teens presented their ventures, followed by presentations, and received feedback from the mentors.
The event ended with the participants' voting for choosing the "crowd's favorites" and the judges' call of the winners, by predefined criteria.
The first place went to team number 21 from India, with a venture called - Alris, which uses artificial intelligence technology to monitor crowded places, identify sick people in closed spaces, and send alerts.
The second place went to three teams: team number 1 (I JOIN), team number 2 (Parkilas), and team number 10 (FamFun).
The third place went to team number 12. Their idea is about inventing an automatic cleaner for the bathroom. There's a moving story behind this team that shows how taking part in the hackathon empowers the contestants.
The Entrepreneurship for Kids Program took the entrepreneurial activity a step forward.
Galit Zamler recognized a need to ease it on the teachers, to catch the students' interest, and to solve problems and hardships that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is bringing upon us.
The program invited schools to join the first virtual hackathon for students in Israel under the subject of "Dealing with the Coronavirus."
This is an interview with Yael Chen-Tov, who won first place with the "Shmaryahu" project:
The Issues on Which the Ventures Were Defined
- Solutions in the health sector for dealing with the virus
- Solutions for the spare time that was created due to the government's instructions
- Solutions for dealing with loneliness
- Solutions for enriching knowledge and solutions for studying
- Solutions for quarantined people's needs
- Solutions for financial difficulties created by the situation
How is the Virtual Hackathon Conducted?
- The hackathon was tailored for kids and their teachers in terms of visual design, sections to fill out, and videos.
- Students worked through a structured, joint internet file to develop a project in their homes at any time that was comfortable for them, from any device, and without physically meeting each other.
- As part of the hackathon, the students watched short tutorial clips that helped them develop the venture idea.
- Each group received professional feedback via the online file relevant to their idea and suited to the young entrepreneurs' ages.
- Each group made up to a two-minute video to present the project or just wrote down the pitch.
- Each venture was reviewed and scored by three judges.
Forty teams of students from six different schools enrolled in the hackathon. Twenty-five of them developed ideas for ventures, and twenty teams reached the final competition and submitted their pitches.
Via an exciting online meeting with all participants, Galit announced the three winners.
The Ideas Were Judged According to the Following Criteria:
- Identifying a problem/need and coming up with a solution that has the potential for a broad impact.
- Original, creative, and doable ideas.
- Writing a detailed file for developing the idea.
- Pitching the idea.
The Prize for the Winners:
- Professional consultation to develop the project.
- Exposure to decision-makers.
- Advertising and exposure on social networks and on the EFK program websites in Hebrew and English.
The Winners of the Vickathon "Dealing with the Coronavirus"
Matan Lion Melech produced the final video that featured the winning teams' pitches.
First place: Yael Chen-Tov, a sixth-grader from Katznelson School in Kfar Sirkin. Yael's venture is called "Shmaryahu" (Keeper) - a bracelet that reminds us to wash hands and keep away from others, thus protecting us from Corona.
Second place: A team of young entrepreneurs - fifth-graders David, Nikol, Tahel and sixth-graders Orin, Shaked, and Nadav from the A.D Gordon School in Holon. Their venture is called "Activation" - a site with various fun and interesting activities to spend time at home during the Corona pandemic.
Third place: The venture of Ella and Ziv, third-graders from the "Sadot" School in Pardes Hanna-Karkur. Their venture is a "Corona Kit" - a kit with hygiene products and fun games that will help us be safe and also have fun.
Our Partners in the Hackathon Success:
The online event was done with the cooperation of professionals who contribute from their expertise; entrepreneurs from various fields who help students promote their ideas and serve as expert mentors.
Rivka Alkobi - Educational Entrepreneur and Founder of B-Friend, Researcher in Special Education, Psychotherapist, and an Educational Advisor. Rivka develops digital therapies and products designed to help parents, teachers, and educators communicate safely. Her last startup, named B-Friend, helps teach children social skills. The Ministry of Education has approved this venture.
Attorney Gad Benett from Ben-Ami & Associates, patent attorneys, has prepared a short and relevant explanatory clip in a language that is understandable to students, answering the question "should I disclose or not disclose my idea?"
Tal Berman - Specialist in early stages ventures, taught this as part of his role at the College of Management. A serial entrepreneur, owner of a company that creates international opportunities for entrepreneurs with representative offices in Spain and Germany, and also leads the Startup Grind community in Rishon Lezion.
Dedi Cohen - Designer and educator. Live the world of Hackathons, founder of the Damm Good Slides studio for accessing tools and practices in presentations, creative thinking, design, and product concept. Designer in the state service, product manager at the karaoke-talkie venture, lecturer, and mentor in the Israeli youth entrepreneurship community.
Matan Lion Melech - A film producer and filmmaker. Matan made a video about the importance of defining and characterizing the target audience.
Or Manor - The founder of the Social Innovation Club, Director of Strategic partnerships, Informatics. She helped to prepare a presentation on how to pitch your project in an interesting way.
Tami Kleiman-Bar - Educational entrepreneur, computing, and linguistic coordinator at the six-year high school Carmel Zevulun in Kibbutz Yagur. A graduate student in computational learning and a group manager of the "Middle School and High School Teacher Circle" and "Other Language" Facebook groups.
Dov Rochman - Has managed business activities in various high technology fields, startups, and retail. This includes setting up a startup company in the energy domain, management, and establishment of a wide retail activity (IKEA Israel) and management of an Israeli corporation (Koor Industries) in the US. These days, he is a member of the technological innovation group in the Ministry of Education, mentor, and high school math teacher.
Ronni Shtekler - An educator, a teacher and English coordinator in junior high school, entrepreneur, developed a remedial teaching kit in English, "Learn English and Remember."
How Was The Hackathon?
The Hackathon turned out to be a success, even before it was launched. Here are some comments from teachers, mentors, parents, and students:
Teachers wrote:
"Excellent initiative."
"Thank you for the initiative and the opportunity to participate. Both teams enjoyed the process very much."
"The Vickathon you developed is lovely and clear. How did you do it?"
"Thank you for leading this meaningful activity during this unusual time. As someone that accompanied projects from the other side, I must say that it had an added value in a time like ours, where kids are out of a routine.
This activity brought them liveliness, a routing of achievement, and a social connection, that are, in my opinion, just as meaningful. They organized it like a project in all senses with daily meetings through Zoom with all the group members, that they couldn't miss or be late to. And of course, after these activities, they had a lot of personal assignments that each of them received.
Thank you so much for promoting this activity. I wish there would be more like this in the future that will get some real content into our children's life."
Children that took part in the Hackathon wrote:
"We really enjoyed the work. Thank you."
"We really enjoyed drawing and inventing ideas to deal with the boredom."
The mentors and judges wrote:
"It was fun, the kids were lovely, and so were their ideas, and the execution was wonderful. a great pleasure."
The director of the Sadot School, which participated in the Hackathon said:
"I'm delighted at the decision to run this Hackathon. That's how learning should look like nowadays. It's a pleasure to hear from all the young entrepreneurs."
A delegation of parents and children from China came to visit Israel to get to know the country, which is considered one of the most entrepreneurial in the world.
To enhance the experience of the visit and to understand the mindset of Israeli entrepreneurs, the members of the delegation took part in a mini-Hackathon for both parents and children.
We held the event at Saronahub - Youth Entrepreneurship Center in Tel Aviv, during which the participants experienced an intensive entrepreneurship process.
It was the first time the Chinese group had heard the word "Hackathon," and they had enjoyed all its stages.
After an introductory lecture and activity that fosters creativity and imagination, they worked in groups, came up with ideas for ventures, of which they chose a particularly successful one. Then they presented their best ideas in an entrepreneurs' Pitch style and finally voted on and chose one winning venture. The winners got prizes.
Examples of innovative ideas raised by participants:
- Clothes that can be eaten
- Use a phone to regulate the temperature of clothes
- Use flowers to create clothes
- Try on clothes on phone
- Trash's resources become cars' energy
- Clothes with a phone screen
The participants who enjoyed the entrepreneurial event said that time had passed quickly. That's how it is when you're having fun:)
Students from six high schools within the settlements Efrat and Gush Etzion participated in a Hackathon.
The theme was: "Yesterday's materials are tomorrow's future."
The Hackathon had two parts. In the first part, there were two events, one for boys and the other for girls. The students learned what a Hackathon is and how they can enjoy it and succeed in it.
These students took part in such an event for the first time, so none of them knew what to expect. This did not keep them from engaging in open conversations with excitement and creativity. Their interests and shared ideas helped these young leaders stay on track and succeed.
At the end of the first session, the student groups came together to focus on one clearly explained idea based on predetermined sets of requirements. Their focus included creativity, project realization in the community, and relevance to the determined theme.
The second part of the Hackathon was for both boys and girls together and went into the night. Event winners received prizes to help supply initial funding for the projects they would create.
Student ideas included:
- Smart shopping cart
- A voluntary educational platform to allow shared information and aid to those who sign up for the system
- Social project to collect eyeglasses for those who in need
- Vehicle fuel by organic manure
- Electric wheelchair
- A tent in a bag
- A tent which includes a shower
- Collaborative community bicycle venture
- Collaborative vehicle service to drive residents of Gush Etzion settlements
- Collect and fix costumes to give to needy residents
The director of education in Kiryat Arba organized a Hackathon for seventh and eighth-grade students in the junior high school of the Yeshiva (Yatka) and students in the seventh and ninth grades in the Ulpana.
The Hackathon was held in three sessions, and it culminated in a community evening in which two finalists from each school presented their projects to the Kiryat Arba residents, well-known entrepreneurs, and judges.
First Session
At the first meeting, the students learned for the first time what a Hackathon is, after preliminary signs in the school aroused their curiosity.
This session exposed the students to the subject of entrepreneurship to develop their entrepreneurial and creative thinking and to encourage them to participate in the next two meetings of the Hackathon, which had limited enrollment.
The introductory meeting, the teasers, the recruitment of the teaching staff, and the competitive atmosphere made more than sixty students register for the Hackathon.
Second Session
About 30 students from the Ulpana gathered in the hall around tables and raised innovative ideas for projects on social entrepreneurship and cleaning products.
Each group had a mentor who helped them formulate ideas.
The students heard a short lecture from Galit Zamler on techniques for creative thinking in entrepreneurship and then raised many ideas for projects, which they had ranked, and chose only two for voting.
Six selected ideas were finalized. The girls developed them toward the semifinals of the competition at the school.
A similar event was held at Yeshiva high school, with more than 30 students eager to bring up and develop innovative ideas in the fields of science, technology, and cleaning products, knowing that eventually, they would compete in the finale against the Ulpana girls.
Third Session
For the third encounter, the students came with the equipment and tools they needed to build a model of their ideas.
After building models, they prepared pitches and presentations to present the projects.
After a few hours, the school children gathered, and the entrepreneurs presented their inventions. Each school held an internal competition between the various groups.
Digital voting allowed each student to choose only two projects, by which two finalists were selected at each school.
The following projects were presented at the Ulpana:
1) Clean Slot (in Hebrew) - A toilet cleaner used by pressing a button
2) Easy Busy - An adjustable eraser for the school board so that it will always remain in place and won't be lost.
3) Owl Test - An owl test embedded in a vehicle to protect against drivers who drink too much alcohol.
4) Kifafa - A glove with a clean dish sponge.
5) Light night - A bag that glows in the dark.
6) Cart fix - A three-wheeled supermarket cart, easy to drive.
The presented projects at Yatka
1) Charging cart - A baby carriage that charges your phone.
2) Cool Bag - A backpack with a cooling system.
3) Electric cart - An electric supermarket cart that drives itself to make it easier for customers.
4) Removable garbage bags without the need to be replaced by.
5) Pencil Pen - Instead of lead, it has a liquid-like writing ink that can be deleted by a regular eraser.
6) Mototon - A broom with which you can clean dust over the cabinets
A large crowd came to see the students presenting their projects on a summit evening at the Heichal HaTarbut. An experienced panel of judges chose the three winning groups who won prizes.
Yael Hazan, the scientific education coordinator, summarized the experience this way:
"We finished the internal competition between the two schools.
It was enriching and impressive to see the hard work of all the groups in all areas. The students were required to prepare a representative prototype and a speech for marketing the product.
There is no doubt that a combination of all of these brought the results of the voting. Of course, the target audience is also a factor.
Anyway, thanks to the fantastic Galit for the extraordinary journey that the students went through.
Congratulations to the excellent teachers and staff, headed by Arie Sod in the Ulpana, Rabbi Menachem Saadia, and Michael Fasi in the Yatka Junior High."
The students of the two seventh-grade classes at the ORT Holon campus participated in three days of Hackathon during which they learned how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and think creatively about project ideas, make prototypes and present them to parents in the Elevator pitch style.
Being exposed to the entrepreneurial world inspired them to think like entrepreneurs, and the students began to ask many questions, both topicality and smart. All of them got answers that encouraged them to be critical thinkers.
Photos of the first session, where the students were divided into groups and thought about ideas for projects, and then showed them in the class:
In the second session of the Hackathon, the students chose a limited number of ideas from those raised in the first session.
Then, each team focused on one project; they developed original ideas, defined a need, a target audience, they thought why the idea is worth working on, and what was needed for making it real.
The students learned what an elevator pitch is, what it answers, and how to differentiate themselves so that others will listen to them.
Pictures from the second part of the Hackathon:
In the third and last part of the Hackathon, the students were creative, able to work in teams, and could cope with challenges when asked to prepare models for their project ideas.
Each group prepared a prototype to illustrate the invention. They used certain accessories provided to them, and they all succeeded in building a model that conveyed their concept.
After constructing the models, the students presented the ideas to their classmates.
The fifth graders who learned about the natural resources participated in a Hackathon of three meetings under the direction of Galit Zamler and Nimrod Segev.
During the first encounter, students were exposed to the entrepreneurial world in the context of natural resources.
They saw how innovative projects that exploit natural resources could improve our environment.
Then they began thinking about the professions that will become redundant in the wake of those ventures and which new jobs may come up because of this.
After the exposure stage, which excited the students, they were given a task to work in groups.
Each group received a panel that helped them to think about creative, entrepreneurial ideas, which made use of the sun and water as natural resources.
Each group formed 2-4 ideas for projects, and, at the end of the meeting, we hung up all the ideas so that everyone could see them.
In the second session, the students voted for the projects that they would most like to implement.
They then analyzed the need for the project, the target audience, what it takes to complete the project, and who their competitors are.
All groups pitched their ideas while paying attention to the correct stance when in front of the audience. Their classmates asked questions to understand the concepts better.
The last meeting was named "Hackathon." Before this meeting, the students brought the equipment and accessories needed to build the models for their ideas.
The children gave their product a name, defined the need it meets, and its target audience. Then thought of a marketing slogan, asked questions, and drew a diagram of the model that they were planning to build together.
The children enjoyed the whole process, especially the prototype building stage in teams, and at the end of the day presented the models to their classmates.
At the end of the meeting, school principal Dorit Nevo wrote: "Amazing process! Recommended for all ages."
And science teacher Michal Ronis wrote:
"It was amazing!
Nimrod and Galit Thank you very much!!!
A real example of meaningful learning."
Students in the Amirim program at the Hashalom school in Mevaseret Zion participated in their third year of entrepreneurship lessons from the Entrepreneurship for Kids Program, led by vice-principal Sigal Bar. She organized a real 24-hour Hackathon event at school.
Sigal summed up the entrepreneurial studies and the Hackathon event as follows:
"Hi,
Yesterday, a group of students from the Amirim program graduated from the 3-year entrepreneurial studies program, in which they learned about the entrepreneurial world, met entrepreneurs, developed business and social projects, and even got published in the newspaper.
This year, each young entrepreneur developed his or her project. The prototype projects were created by the students yesterday during the 24-hour Hackathon, which included: creating prototypes, relaxing activities, lectures on entrepreneurial rhetoric by Ronit Meiri, and marketing by Sharona Zohar.
The students worked at the school and completed the construction of prototypes at 3:00 a.m. The final products are amazing and creative.
The future generation of the HaShalom students is ready, sharp, creative, loves to learn, curious, and, most of all, proactive and well prepared for the 21st century.
Among the projects were: a magnetic board for Alzheimer's patients, a tri-headed bottle, a portable clothing rack for the pool, beach, and home, a device for quickly finding jewelry, a computer mouse with an attached pad, a mechanical pencil set with replaceable erasers, disposable bags for squeezing lemons...
Thank you, Galit Zamler for your guidance over the years!"
A summary of the HaShalom school Hackathon:
The first Hackathon for elementary school students began during the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2014.
The Hackathon was divided into three meetings; each one was held at a different school. Participating schools: Kaplan from Petah-Tikva, Yad Mordechai from Bat-Yam, HaShalom from Mevaseret Zion, and Alumot from Tel-Aviv.
Here is a summarized presentation from all three meetings:
The first to take up the glove was Tali Toledano, the Kaplan school principal in Petah-Tikva. Her school has engraved on its flag the education for entrepreneurship.
Tali immediately liked the Hackathon idea and asked other schools to join the experience:
Dear Galit,
Please forward the following to the principals. Thank you.
Dear Principals,
Global Entrepreneurship Week gives us a chance to teach, practice, initiative, and explore.
Among the many activities during this week, we will host entrepreneurs from different fields that will inspire our students.
Thanks in advance to Galit Zamler for her help, participation, and organization toward this week.
This year, we plan on holding a Hackathon, meaning entrepreneurship conversations that will include students from different schools to create cooperative initiatives.
During the year, we will be happy to come to schools that took part in the week and continue working together to further our initiatives.
At the end of the year, we will hold a cooperative initiative fair.
Those interested in more details are welcome to contact me.
Have a great year.
Three schools responded to the call - two principals and a vice principal that, like real entrepreneurs, got out of their comfort zone and decided to join the Hackathon, even though they have never participated in one before.
We shall note that this is exactly how Galit Zamler educates for entrepreneurship.
The schools are:
The Yad Mordechai in Bat-Yam, run by Avivit Misterial, that teaches entrepreneurial forethought.
The Alumot school in Tel-Aviv is headed by Anat Blair. The school joined those who teach entrepreneurship classes in September 2014.
The HaShalom school in Mevaseret Zion, led by vice-principal Sigal Bar, who teaches the EFK Program to a group of gifted students.
Thus, the Hackathon for four different schools from four different cities was born.
Hackathon summary by Zehava and Sigal:
"You had three wonderful sessions. Each session was different from its predecessor. During these meetings, you mingled, discussed, thought, planned, and created.
It was a great pleasure to watch you work together, even though you did not know each other beforehand.
We're sure you're walking away with a positive experience.
Your ideas deserve spreading."
Every student got a certificate of participation and five stones. These stones symbolize creativity, flexibility, optimism, communication, and persistence.
Read about more experiences in entrepreneurship education schools.
