1, 2, 3 — let the 2-day impact hackathon begin

Over two days, the 160 first-year Master's students at the Paris campus worked flat out to tackle the challenge set by SOS Méditerranée: How can micro-donations be triggered, rewarded and scaled up, particularly among the 18–30 age group? 

A project that truly resonated with our students and pushed them to go even further… 

SOS MEDITERRANÉE is a European civilian sea rescue organisation, founded in 2015 by European citizens outraged by the ongoing tragedy in the Mediterranean. 

Since 2014, more than 26,000 people have perished in the Mediterranean Sea, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), not counting all those who have drowned without witnesses. The central Mediterranean is considered the world's deadliest migration route. SOS MEDITERRANÉE, with its vessels the Aquarius and then the Ocean Viking, has to date rescued 37,352 people. Nearly a quarter of them were under 18.

The organisation has 3 missions :

  • Rescue 
  • Protect 
  • Bear witness 

On shore, this advocacy mission relies on the civic commitment of more than 600 volunteers across France. 

Thursday 6 April 2023, 9 am — the 160 first-year Master's students mobilise in 23 groups to tackle the SOS Méditerranée challenge: How can micro-donations be triggered, rewarded and scaled up, particularly among the 18–30 age group? 

Three key challenges emerge from this topic: triggering the micro-donation, rewarding it and scaling it up. The primary objective is to win over a new community of donors, with a clear awareness that building a donation channel takes time. 

So what exactly is a micro-donation?

It's a small donation that, when multiplied, enables real action to be taken. 

   

 

The students' mission was therefore to imagine and create a mockup or prototype of a solution that addresses the challenge and its three key dimensions. 

In total, 23 deliverables (prototypes or mockups) were presented during the pitch session on Friday 7 April, in front of Corinne Melet, Head of Fundraising at SOS Méditerranée France! 

   

Congratulations once again to all the groups for the quality of their proposals! Congratulations to group 12, made up of Leonardo Maundo, Gabriel Coulpied, Seandjey Hugues Cedric Mahan, Geoffrey Lord, Adam Guerrier, Agathe Herledan, Clothilde Hery, who stood out and won the jury's first prize! 

   

   

So how does a hackathon work at Digital Campus? 

The hackathon is not focused on specialisms. For this exercise, students must set aside their hats as Art Director, Lead UX, Tech Lead, etc., and put on the hat of a digital strategy expert. They must think up a solution that addresses the project owner's problem and propose a prototype or mockup illustrating how it works. 

The presentation in front of the project owner is also very short — 5–6 minutes per group. It's a concise, high-impact pitch exercise. 

Some students may even have discovered a vocation… We might have more to share on that soon!