Idea to Prototype: A Civics and Elections Hackathon

Interested in using AI to solve a real world/life problem? Come find out. Let’s do it together.

This Hackathon is a fast-paced, one-day event where you'll go from idea to working prototype — with real teammates, real tools, and a real plan to test what you build.

The event builds on civics and elections challenges inspired by the Upskilling Labs' “Build Cycle,” a thematic 12-week program where participants work on real-world problems and build practical solutions. No previous involvement or AI-capacity required.

*Note: This is a non-partisan, non-political event.

If you are a Newcomer: Welcome! Join a beginner-friendly morning track where you'll get hands-on with AI tools and learn how to turn an idea into something you can actually show someone. In the afternoon, you'll get a look inside what the pods are building and get to:

• See a real project up close and ask every "dumb question" you've been holding
• Learn by doing — you'll leave with something you actually built
• No prior experience needed; your outside perspective is genuinely useful here

If you are an Upskiller in the Civics and Elections Build Cycle, join the Pod Sprint: Welcome! You are invited to join a Pod (a small research team focused on a specific civic engagement challenge) in a Pod Sprint (a structured team problem-solving session).

• Shares their perspective on the problem
• Helps identify promising directions with their Pod
• Chooses one idea to explore
• Builds a simple prototype
• Creates a plan to test it with a real user

By the end of the day, everyone leaves with a prototype and a plan to test it in the real world.

• 9am: Light Breakfast
• 9:30am: Welcome from AU Hosts
• We'll then split up for the morning into two tracks:
  • NEWCOMER Track: for new Upskillers who are not yet part of the Build Cycle
  • POD SPRINT Track: For Upskillers who are already working in our pod

• Newcomer
  • 9:45am (Newcomer): About The Upskilling Labs and what to expect (Koryn Leslie-Arcaya)
  • 10:00am (Newcomer): Workshop, Design Thinking with Emily Modde
  • 10:50am (Newcomer): Working session, Download Github, tool wayfinding
  • 11:20am (Newcomer): Pod Briefing
  • 12:00pm (Newcomer): Lunch
• Pod Sprint
  • 9:45am-10:30am: (Pod Sprint) Synthesize & Prioritize. Everyone will have completed Assignments #1 & #2, and we'll be prioritizing a few problem frames to focus on for the day.
  • 10:30am-12:30pm (Pod Sprint): Build & Prototype. Everyone will build their own portfolio of quick tests, supported by mentors and peers.
  • 12:30-1:15pm (Pod Sprint): Lunch

• Newcomer
  • 1:00pm (Newcomer): Workshop — From Prompt to Prototype: Building your Professional Website with AJ Bubb and Lovable.dev with AJ Bubb
  • 2:30pm (Newcomer): Workshop — Working Backwards from the Outcome: A prompting workshop for people doing real work with Ashwin Jaiprakash
• Pod Sprint:
  • 1:15-3pm (Pod Sprint): Pivot & Expand. Take what you built in the morning and make it work for a different stakeholder group or a different take on the problem.
  • 3-3:30pm (Pod Sprint): Pressure Test & Practice
• All:
  • 3:30pm: Lightning presentations
  • 4:30pm: Depart for happy hour

• Effort v. Impact
  • Some people would engage- if they believed a given action was worth the effort. The barriers are too high and the incentives are too low: it takes real effort just to find out what's available and determine whether it matters - and when the feedback loop is broken, people stop trying because they never see the results of their effort. If I go to a protest, what actually happens?
  • How might we make it easy for people to see what civic action is available, what it would take, and what actually happened — so showing up starts to feel worth it?

About The Upskilling Labs: The Upskilling Labs is an open, project-based learning community prioritizing building real things with real people. Every quarter, we run a “Build Cycle” themed around an industry or topic — participants form “pods” around real problems, develop and test AI-enabled solutions together, and showcase what they've built. No credentials required. Just show up ready to learn alongside others. theupskillinglabs.org

About (media partner) Technical.ly:
Technical.ly, an independent news org focused on high-growth entrepreneurship, jobs of the future and the local effects of technology, is a media partner for this event. Join Technical.ly's [newsletters](https://technical.ly/subscribe/?utmsource=mediapartner&utmmedium=mediapartner&utmcampaign=upskillinglabs) for the latest in regional tech news, startup moves, investor trends, career success stories, key resources and job opportunities._