About

Hacks for Humanity, sponsored by Project Humanities at Arizona State University (ASU), is a 36-hour hackathon for the social good, challenging participants to create technologies to address local and global issues. The finished products must embody these seven Humanity 101 principles: kindness, compassion, integrity, respect, empathy, forgiveness, and self-reflection. This annual event draws some 150-200 students, faculty, staff and community members, each with their individual talents and backgrounds of expertise. The event this year will take place from October 10-11, 2020.

2019 Tracks

Food

Food is one of the most basic of human needs and one of the most fundamental sources of cultural identity.In what ways can we improve the way individuals experience and/or get access to food?

Family

The notion of “family” is complicated, subjective, and often conveys more than just those who are related to one another by blood. How can tending to and/or connecting with the ones we call “family” be better for all involved?

Finances

According to the cliché, “Money makes the world go ‘round,”yet it can also be an obstacle that brings it to a complete stop. How does money and the world of finance interconnect with “social good”?

Winners

Promise

1st Place:This technology allows parents to aid their children in taking accountability for their sharedresponsibilities. Kids record promises made and the app reminds kids of promise. Kids then report to the app when those promises have been kept. An agreed upon reward system is set up by kids and parents.Underscoring the Humanity 101 principles of self-reflection, respect, and integrity, this app counters “childism”—“prejudice against children as a group”–by allowing youngsters to participate more fully in a democratic-run household.

Allyway

2nd Place: This app connects people who have been separated from their families to lost family members. People whose families have been separated can search for family members based on date and location when separated. Identity markers are kept private until personal questions are properly answered to match folks to each other. This technology embodies these Humanity 101 principles: empathy, compassion, and forgiveness.

New Hope

3rd Place:This technology supports non-profits that serve patients in hospice care with no relatives nearby to visit them. This app allows arrangements for funding the travel of one relative to visit their loved one in their final moments. Once an institutional caseworker verifies that an individual is in hospice or has experienced a catastrophic health crisis and the patient has no relatives nearby to see them, the patient then identifies a relative they want to see them. After the selection process, the app’s main functionality is that of a trip planner/travel app. It assists in booking flights, lodging, transportation, and navigating the city to find the patient in hospice. The app also helps secure funding for these measures through corporate sponsorships. Humanity 101 principles: compassion, empathy, and kindness.