#YesWeCode

From July 3^rd – 6^th, Phylanthropic Inc. joined Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and members of the White House at the #YesWeCode Hackathon. During the third day of the competition, youth hackers spanning from San Francisco, California to New York City, New York collectively presented their web and mobile-based application ideas. The festivities kicked off in New Orleans by Van Jones, Former White House Advisor to President Obama. Van is the Founder of #YesWeCode and current Cohost of CNN Crossfire. He provided an inspirational keynote speech, and he specifically asked both youth and adults to work together and improve their communities through technology. The theme of the weekend was bringing awareness to high potential children in low opportunity environments.

It was amazing to see so many young bright minds, work together and leading adults as they complicated computer programs. Fortune 500 companies sent representatives to this event, and they scouted and voted for the best application to help fund. The hackathon concluded with each team presenting for five minutes. Each presentation required a demonstration of the team app idea. The winning team was selected by a major company to fund and finish their project.

Phylanthropic Inc. was exposed to an innovative new industry, and the journey was very rewarding. It was a gratifying experience to support, mentor and contribute to dreams of our youth. We plan on participating in more youth hackathons, and we encourage everyone to get involved and discover ways to help support our future. Stay connected and join the conversation #YesWeCode.