Young technology enthusiasts from around the world will spend all day Saturday learning new skills and creating innovative projects as part of Local Hack Day: Build, the latest in a series of growing annual events from Major League Hacking.
鈥淢ajor League Hacking started six years ago with a simple goal: to share hacker culture with as many people as possible,鈥� Mike Swift, co-founder and CEO of Major League Hacking, said in a news release. 鈥淪ince then, we鈥檝e completely reinvented the on-campus hacker experience and introduced more than 350,000 aspiring technologists to our community through hackathons and technical workshops.鈥�
More than 10,000 attendees are expected for this year鈥檚 event, according to Major League Hacking. About 10 percent of last year鈥檚 attendees were K-12 students, according to a Major League Hacking spokesperson.
The organization emphasizes that anyone鈥攕tudent or adult, experienced or amateur coder鈥� can participate, either as a hacker or a local event organizer. The lists local events for this year鈥檚 program in more than 50 countries as well as several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles; Rochester, N.Y.; Cambridge, Mass.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Providence, R.I. Find the event closest to you on .
Last year鈥檚 included a like the ones CEOs use in movies, a for tech project owners to reward contributors with cryptocurrency; a for editing HTML without using code; and a for tourists to share experiences.
Anyone can host a hackathon as part of the global event. The organization, in partnership with Microsoft, provides a variety of materials to registered hackathon leaders, including 鈥減resentations, content, , code samples, a code of conduct playbook, and co-branded swag.鈥�
Hackathons are designed, in large part, to prepare young people for the future of work. Education Week has reported extensively on the rapidly evolving workplace and educators鈥� scramble to maximize students鈥� ability to thrive within it.
Image: Getty