For 48 hours, more than 60 participants and mentors worked on creating a digital solution to improve the accessibility of Chernihiv’s urban space. The event was organised by the Chernihiv.IT community with the participation of strategic partners, including the Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, Chernihiv Regional State Administration, and a number of businesses and NGOs.

The hackathon focused on an interactive barrier-free map that will allow recording problematic areas of the urban environment, engaging the community and authorities in solving them, and helping residents plan their routes efficiently.

Mentors, experts in IT, urbanism, design, and project management, played a special role in the event.

Their support helped the teams:

• · quickly adapt to the work format;
• · find the best ways to implement ideas;
• · develop critical thinking and collaboration skills;
• · create the first versions of digital services (MVPs) in such a short time.

Mentoring support has proven to be effective in short-term intensive projects. This is further proof of the importance of introducing tutoring and mentoring approaches into the educational environment, in particular through initiatives such as the Erasmus+ PROMENT project. The positive experience of the participants and the real results of their work are just the beginning. The hackathon’s best practices are already being prepared for further development and implementation.

Follow the updates – we will share more stories about the participation of mentors and the impact of mentoring on the development of innovations in education and the community