Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – March 27, 2023 – The Trust for the Americas’ DIA Youth Innovation Lab Trinidad and Tobago, supported by the Citi Foundation and the Institute of Law and Economic (ILE) Jamaica, successfully hosted “Hack4Change,” a virtual regional hackathon, from March 24 to March 27, 2023. Youth innovators from three Caribbean countries – Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Belize – worked in teams to design and prototype solutions that can contribute to the betterment of society.
Throughout the 48-hour event, participants worked to create Information Communication Technology (ICT)-based solutions to address challenges aimed at advancements in Technology, Creative Economies, and Climate Action. The hackathon concluded with a pitching competition, where teams presented their solutions to a panel of judges that included Mr. Miguel Andrews, Physicist and Laboratory Manager Calibration, CARIRI, Ms. Lynette Akong, Senior ICT/Business Coordinator, CARIRI, Ms. Camille Pagee, Managing Director Connect Consulting Ltd, and Mr. Gerard Thomas, Head of Innovation and Business Development, Agostini’s Ltd. The panel of judges selected the winning teams based on the novelty and impact of their solutions.
The following teams were selected as the top winners of the “Hack4Change” Hackathon, in no particular order: Trinidad and Tobago – Sundae Bytes, Pandalytics, and Null Method Programming Concepts; Jamaica – Baro and Apply Digital; Belize – HackITBac and Gigacoders. These winning teams were awarded USD 1000 each to recognize their creativity, imagination, and hard work through their active participation in the regional hackathon.
Mr. Quimey Del Rio, DIA Senior Project Officer, The Trust for the Americas in his remarks stated, “We want to extend special thanks to Citi Foundation, whose vision and investment paved the way for this Program to succeed and grow to become the regional network that it has become today. We are glad to see our network grow, and our impacted beneficiaries improve their conditions and develop their entrepreneurship to the benefit of their communities throughout these years. We are sure that the skills and tools acquired here will be instrumental along with the dedication of personal time and effort, to building the type of society we want to live in.”
The success of “Hack4Change” highlights the potential of technology to create positive changes in society. The Organization of American States (OAS), The Trust for the Americas, Citi Foundation, Institute of Law and Economic (ILE), DIA Lab Belize, and CARIRI through the DIA program, which stands for Democratizing Innovation in the Americas, and it’s an initiative that seeks to foster innovation and empower youth from vulnerable communities through providing access to technology, training, collaboration spaces, mentorship, and financial support for their start-ups. To learn more about the DIA Innovation Lab Trinidad and Tobago, visit: https://dialabtt.cariri.com/
About The Trust for the Americas:
The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities as well as to foster innovation in vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada.
More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org
Facebook: The Trust for the Americas
Twitter: @Trust4Americas
