Inspiration

Village was inspired by the idea that parents often lack a strong local support system. We wanted to create a “digital village” where caregivers can easily connect, share experiences, and support each other in everyday parenting.

What it does

Village is a community app for parents that includes advice boards, daily prompts, social feeds, local group discovery, event planning, chat, and mentorship matching. It also connects users with supportive organizations and encourages daily engagement through shared experiences.

How we built it

We built Village using React Native with Expo for the mobile frontend and a Node.js + Express backend with MySQL for data storage.

Challenges we ran into

We faced challenges designing a relational database that supports relationships in Village. We also spent a lot of time designing the UI and implementing it.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully built a full community platform with social feeds, group events, messaging, and mentorship matching!

What we learned

We learned how important database design is for social applications, especially when handling interconnected features, and how crucial the planning phase is in software development.

What's next for Village

Next, we want to improve engagement by adding simple gamified features like badges, streaks, and rewards for activity. We also plan to improve local matching, make event planning easier, enhance chat features, and connect with real parenting organizations to better support the community.

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