Inspiration
Upon receiving a spark of inspiration from a friend, I embarked on a journey to create a solution for those facing homelessness. Initially hesitant due to existing platforms offering resources, I soon uncovered a gap in accessibility and clarity within this realm. Thus, OpportUNITY emerged, aiming to streamline and simplify vital information for individuals in need.
What it does
OpportUNITY is an innovative website designed to empower individuals experiencing homelessness or coming from underprivileged backgrounds. Through the platform, users can create an account granting them access to a carefully curated database of opportunities. This database not only aggregates existing resources tailored to the homeless community but also provides a space for companies to contribute by listing job positions specifically aimed at these demographics. By bridging the gap between job seekers and socially responsible employers, OpportUNITY fosters increased engagement and connectivity, ultimately expanding the pool of individuals actively seeking employment opportunities.
How we built it
This website was created in GoDaddy, where we used HTML. To create the directory where the responses go, we used Google Cloud. Lastly, we made the final presentation in Canva.
Challenges we ran into
I had a lot of difficulty figuring out how to create a backend server as a very new coder. I also had trouble integrating the responses from the website to the server and back to the website. This was because the response submissions in GoDaddy's built-in form submitter were sending the responses to my email, and when I tried incorporating the form using HTML, I still experienced trouble with the responses.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I am proud of learning how to use HTML and Java for the first time when I was experimenting with ideas. They are a lot less daunting once you understand the basics. Also, I really like the idea; there are so many implications of helping underprivileged communities, and while doing research, I learned a lot about the struggles they face when it comes to job hunting. Finally, I am most happy about figuring out how to create a backend server, as I spent many hours on this aspect of my project. Ironically, in the end, it turned out that what I was trying to implement did not need to reference back to the backend server.
What we learned
I learned how to overcome the setbacks that we faced. There was also the issue of coming up with one good idea because I think we had a lot of creative thoughts but they had already been done or were too complicated to do within the timeframe of this competition.
What's next for OpportUNITY
I plan to continue to work on this project further and include more opportunities for those who are incarcerated, are disabled, etc. OpportUNITY also plans on launching a subscription model that can monetize the platform, which in turn can be donated back to create more job opportunities for the homeless.
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