In May, Spacecubed are holding a hackathon with a difference - Mindhack, kicking off on the 20th of May is a hackathon like no other and indeed, the first of its kind in Australia.
The World Health Organisation has found that over 740 million people (10% of the world’s population) are affected by mental health issues, with a global economic burden of over $3 trillion a year. It’s easy to get lost in the statistics, but the effects of mental health are more than simply economic ones.
Susie Hinks was diagnosed with Schizophrenia at a young age, however due to stigma, and a lack of support, suffered for years before she received the necessary treatment for her illness. She writes that her period of mental illness was a lonely and isolating experience. The topic has become almost taboo.
Spacecubed and Meeting for Minds are bringing Australia its first mental health hackathon. Coming up on the 20th and 21st of May, this immersive event will have people from all walks of life, coming together to develop innovative and creative strategies for brain researchers and mental health consumers to interact.
The event will bring together expert mentors in the field of mental health, including Dr Norman Sartorius, former director of the World Health Organisation, Keith Wilson, former director of the WA Department of Health and Kerry Hawkins, the Director of the WA Association of Mental Health.
The Event
Participants will work in teams, to tackle the Meeting for Minds challenge any way they wish. Don’t worry - it’s not just for the technical folk out there, the use of technology is not a requirement for winning the hackathon. Teams will form Friday night after pitching their concepts, and have just one day to work out their solutions, develop a pitch, and pitch the ideas to a panel of judges. There are great prizes are on offer for the most unique ideas - comprising of cash, Uber credit, and co-working space at Spacecubed.
