
The NOLA Tech Tap: Youth Innovation Virtual Ideathon calls upon youth in New Orleans to develop creative yet practical ideas of how technology can become a catalyst when creating and diversifying opportunities, be it in the tourism sector, the healthcare sector, to drive climate resilience, or other endeavors.
The United Nations defines SDG 8 as : “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”. With the pandemic vastly slowing down global development engines, disrupting economies and livelihoods, ‘decent work and economic growth’ remains a mirage for many around the world.
This Innovation Marathon seeks participants to explore solution ideas to facilitate the realization of SDG 8 through multiple paradigms and approaches. Solution ideas may incorporate one or a combination of the guiding categories below:
Participants are encouraged to adopt a holistic paradigm while developing ideational frameworks in diverse teams for a future where opportunities abound for all sections of the population!
Harnessing technology to overcome obstacles and generate community value
The NOLA Tech Tap Innovation Marathon, inspired by SDG 8, is built upon the theme : ‘Overcoming barriers to decent work and economic growth’. It seeks to address questions revolving around social innovation driven by technology :
The Marathon aims to explore possibilities that focus on driving social innovation and sustained livelihood with technological solutions. It is also an effort to converge communities to supercharge social innovation.
The challenge statement for the participants in the Innovation Marathon is :
“How can social innovation harness technology to propel equitable and sustainable economic growth?”
The NOLA Tech Tap engages participants around real-life challenges and equips them to work together cross-boundary to develop simple, practical, and creative solution ideas using technology as a tool to propel social impact. The challenges presented for the NOLA Tech Tap are based on input from local community partner organizations and would relate to the following:
…among other potential topics (health, tourism, education, etc.)
Participate in the NOLA Tech Tap : Youth Innovation Marathon and create technological innovations that contribute to SDG 8! The application window will be open soon!
The deadlines and the schedule for the event are set to be released soon! Keep a close eye on this space to know more!
The Melton Foundation promotes and enables global citizenship as a way for individuals and organizations to work together across boundaries of place and identity to address global challenges. The organization is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered in the USA, and a leading proponent of global citizenship practice worldwide. Established nearly thirty years ago with the credence that collaborations across boundaries can forge sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, today, our presence spans six global citizenship hubs in Chile, China, Germany, Ghana, India, and the United States of America.
Dillard University (DU) is the Melton Foundation’s partner university in New Orleans, USA. A private historically black liberal arts institution, DU has been part of the Melton Foundation network since 1995.
Nisum is a leading global digital commerce firm based in Silicon Valley that provides all the services that a large consulting company does, but with the flexibility and customization of a boutique firm. For more than 20 years, they have paved the way for the digital commerce explosion.