About the Hackathon
What is a “hackathon”?
A “hackathon” is a gathering of people who come together to make, play, prototype, and learn. Usually they last a weekend and are in-person — ours is virtual and lasts a whole month.
Our hackathon will have other unique features: talks, workshops, social events, an art exhibition, and lots of fun surprises along the way.
When is the hackathon, and when should I apply?
The hackathon runs from May 3rd - 30th. Applications open on March 8th and close on March 26th. We aim to have 50 participants in the hackathon, who will each receive a stipend of $250 to participate.
We welcome people of all levels of experience to apply — if you’ve never been to a hackathon before, don’t worry, we’ll support you along the way! Apply here by March 26th!
What will this hackathon focus on?
The hackathon will have four tracks: Reproductive Justice, the Care Economy, Prison Abolition, and Environmental Justice. Each track will be produced in partnership with a community organization who will help shape design challenges for participants. When you apply, you will select a track to join.
If you want to read more about the four tracks, you can find them further down the page after the FAQ.
What can I expect to do at the hackathon?
We’ll begin with a kickoff, and then you will form teams to work on a project of your choice for the month. We’ll give you weekly design milestones, and your teams will work together however you like during the week! Together we’ll create concepts, sketch our ideas, and prototype what we imagine. We’ll check in with teams weekly, and you’ll also get feedback from your mentors. At the end of the month, we’ll have a celebration!
What do I need to have to participate in the hackathon?
You’ll need a phone or computer to participate in the Zoom calls, and a computer that can run Discord. We’ll send you everything else in the mail—including special treats and surprises!—so you’ll need a mailing address. You are also free to use any additional materials you have handy for your team’s project.
What kind of project will I work on?
In teams mentored by community organizations, we will design interventions for reproductive justice, the care economy, abolition, and environmental justice. Your team will decide what project you work on for the month! From art activism, to community gardens, to planning for mutual aid, we believe that innovation doesn’t need to be high-tech to be high-impact.
What’s the schedule and time commitment?
Collective meeting times will be on Monday and Wednesday evenings after 7pm EST, with optional cross-collaboration hours on Saturday or Sunday afternoons (or other times you work out with your team). The hackathon has lots of optional events. We expect, between weekly meetings and work with your team, that you might spend around 5 hours a week on the hackathon (of course, you are welcome to participate as much as you’d like!)
Who is doing this… and why?
Good question! This project is brought to you by members of the “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck!” collaborative. We love producing hackathons that help us imagine and prototype more just and equitable worlds. It’s also part of a research project at MIT about changing the culture of technology innovation spaces.
Tell me more about how this hackathon is research.
Alexis Hope is leading our research project which is about designing more inclusive and joyful innovation spaces. Your feedback will help us understand how this event is or isn't fulfilling that goal. Participants in the hackathon will be asked to fill out a weekly survey and may be asked to participate in an interview after the event. Before doing those things, you will sign an informed consent form detailing why we are collecting this information. You can decline to consent and still participate in the hackathon, no problem.
Reach out to us at ourfeministfutures@mit.edu with any questions!
Hackathon Track Descriptions
Read more about our phenomenal collaborators + track mentors
The SisterSong Women of Color collective defines Reproductive Justice as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. Collaborators: The Renée, Period Equity.
Care workers include home care workers, nannies and house cleaners, and this work happens in formal and informal sectors, in private households with individual employers. In a feminist care economy that centers race and gender equity, care work is valued and generously compensated, care workers are treated with the dignity they deserve, and we would cease exploitation of the underpaid and unpaid labor of women. All care workers — especially domestic workers — work in safe conditions, fair and consensual labor relationships, and are protected by labor laws and benefit from all social welfare systems. Collaborator: National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Environmental justice promotes healing the land and waters, restoring and protecting Indigenous land rights, and advocating for sustainable ways of living. Environmental justice centers the people most impacted by environmental and climate catastrophes. Collaborator: Pueblo Action Alliance.
Prison abolition demands a world without carceral or punitive systems, which inflict violence on individuals, families, and communities. These carceral systems result in the social construction of “crime” and do not address the root causes of harm or violence in a community. Collaborator: Sisters Unchained.
Got more questions?
Feel free to send us an e-mail, we’d love to hear from you.
ourfeministfutures@mit.edu