Get Involved at Bay Area Rescue Mission

Inspiration

We were inspired by the touching presentation given by Bay Area Rescue Mission. We each had our own individual goals going into the hackathon (involving learning new skills, etc) and wanted to channel our enthusiasm into something productive for our client. We looked at trends between millennials and Gen Z, then used our peers' feedback to create something that generated greater awareness/actually interested this target audience. Our push to create a solution for our client caused us to really think about what would be impactful, and we wished to make a difference.

What it does

We made a website where Millenials and Gen-Z can find ways to get involved in homelessness, while developing their professional skills. Millenials working in tech can join corporate events that involve interacting with people who have experienced homelessness. Gen-Z will get involved by becoming an ambassador--- volunteering and sharing about it on social media with give them leadership and professional skils. Interacting with homeless people and humanizing them will create a sense of urgency and feel the need to become advocates for homeless in the future.

How we built it

We conducted surveys and user interviews to understand better what Millenials and Gen-Z know about homelessness. We also asked them how they would like to get involved. We made a clickable Figma prototype to demonstrate the functionality of our website concept.

Challenges we ran into

We had a lot of different ideas, and it was difficult to close in on one. Even with so many ideas, we wanted to ensure that the one we chose would have a real impact. This took extra brainstorming, and we even had to scrap a prototype that we were well on our way making. We also had to hone in on millennials and genZ separately, making sure we adhered to both needs; they were two audiences with were similar, yet required a different thought process. Lastly, the time differences (east vs. west coast) changed the times in which we all could work on the project as a whole team, and have constant feedback.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We were able to create the framework for new programs that could work in generating awareness in different ways. We were able to take both Gen Z and millennial perspectives into account, as we laid out a plan for both an ambassador program and a more sophisticated corporate sponsorship program.

What we learned

Ideas need to be thought out carefully, as projects that are done with little impact are of no use. There needs to be a longer lasting goal, which can only be met if we challenge our current plans instead of settling for another.

What's next for Get Involved at Bay Area Rescue Mission

Get Involved will become more populated with different sponsorship programs, as well as features from new ambassadors. There will be another outlet to resources, which speaks more to the younger population; social media is emphasized and there are greater incentives to get involved as ambassadors will feel more like employees rather than one-time volunteers.

Built With

• figma