NYC Find Your NYC

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  NYC Find Your NYC

What it does

Find Your NYC helps families discover youth programs, activities, events, grants, and resources across all five boroughs.

The idea evolved during the hackathon after I spoke with an NYC school principal. He explained that many families come from different countries and speak different languages at home, and that students may want programs like STEM, robotics, art, or Taekwondo that their schools may not have the resources to offer.

That got me thinking: NYC already has so many opportunities. Sometimes the problem is simply knowing where to find them.

Instead of searching through different websites, a parent can describe what they're looking for, such as, “I need a free STEM or robotics activity for my 10-year-old in Queens.” AI helps understand criteria like age, borough, interests and cost and connects that request with real NYC public data.

The app also includes multilingual access, borough calendars, an NYC map, grants and funding resources, favorites, and a School Wishlist where families can share programs they wish their schools offered.

How we built it

I built Find Your NYC using Google AI Studio, Gemini, NYC Open Data, and vibe coding.

I wanted AI to make NYC information easier to navigate—not invent the opportunities themselves. Gemini helps understand what a family is asking for, while the programs and resources are grounded in real public data.

Challenges we ran into

There was definitely a lot of testing and debugging! I ran into Gemini API limits, searches that were too restrictive, and public data that didn't always contain every detail I wanted.

I also learned quickly that just because an AI-built feature looks like it works doesn't mean it actually works. I had to test the searches, filters, data, and results and keep improving them.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm proud that I started with an idea, talked to someone who could actually benefit from it, changed the concept based on his feedback, and turned it into a working application during the hackathon.

I'm especially proud of the multilingual approach and School Wishlist because both came from thinking about the needs of real NYC families and schools.

What we learned

I learned how quickly generative AI and vibe coding can turn an idea into something functional, but also how important real data, testing, and human feedback still are.

The biggest lesson was to talk to the people you're building for. One conversation changed the direction of what I was building.

What's next for NYC Find Your NYC

I'd like to connect even more NYC agencies, programs, events, and community resources so families can search more of what the city has to offer in one place.

I'd also like to expand School Wishlist so schools could see what programs families want most and potentially identify grants or funding that could help bring those programs into their schools.

NYC already has amazing opportunities. Find Your NYC is about making them easier for every family to find.

Built With

• ai
• api
• coding
• css
• data
• gemini
• generative
• google
• html
• javascript
• nyc
• open
• react
• rest
• socrata
• studio
• typescript
• vibe