National Ambassadors convene for DigiEduHack 2024 Kick-off

On May 27, the National Ambassadors of the DigiEduHack 2024 initiative gathered, both in Brussels and online, to share their experiences and expertise in digital education and hackathons. This meeting marked the beginning of their journey as National Ambassadors, providing a platform to inspire one another and exchange valuable tools and insights.

The gathering featured a comprehensive overview of the DigiEduHack initiative, and the ambassadors' roles, ensuring all participants were well-informed and prepared. The event included a series of workshops where participants were divided into groups, fostering collaborative discussions about digital education platforms, apps, projects, and programs. Ambassadors also shared their own initiatives and projects related to digital education, and explored how these could align with the goals of DigiEduHack.

Key discussions focused on leveraging networks and implementing best practices to engage hosts and participants, aiming to meet the ambitious targets set for 2024. The ambassadors also addressed various digital education challenges, such as dealing with fake news, promoting mental health, and tackling climate change. They discussed potential hackathons for teachers to encourage the integration of digital tools in education.

During these discussions, Angela Jafarova, co-founder of the start-up Datorium and previous DigiEduHack host, shared her insights on engaging with schools. When she hosted a hackathon, students were tasked to develop solutions in digital education. She initially faced resistance from the students who didn't understand the purpose, but ultimately, the event proved highly successful. The students recognised the valuable skills they could gain by participating in the hackathons. Angela Jafarova emphasized, “It is really valuable to have young people think, from their perspective, what they would like to change [...]. They bring their experiences, expectations, and problems into the solutions, which is really effective.” She encouraged all National Ambassadors to approach schools to organise similar hackathons.

Additionally, some National Ambassadors who were previously involved in the initiative highlighted the excellent support they received from the Consortium partners. This support has been instrumental in enabling them to fill their role as smoothly and effectively as possible.