Student teams of four took on workplace challenges set by six different employers, including charities and corporations, at Westminster Enterprise Network’s annual Humanities Hackathon.
How can the BBC best hear from and represent a range of views – on anything from say the Downing Street party scandal to the cost of living – in a singular piece of video content? How can Mind appear more relevant to younger people and people from racialised communities? How can Rare Disease UK raise awareness of rare diseases?
These were some of the questions posed to English, French, History, Languages and Linguistics students in April 2022 at Shaping the Future – the annual Humanities Hackathon – by an impressive line-up of employers including Meta, Channel 4, BBC News, Mind, Brand Advance and WaterAid.
The event was organised by the University of Westminster’s Westminster Enterprise Network – WeNetwork – which brings together colleagues, students, graduates, businesses, employers and external partners to share their experience and expertise for mutual benefit.
Student teams had to compile a three-minute elevator pitch, presenting their ideas and solutions back to the employers, who chose one group each to go through to the final. The finalists then had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to over 100 ‘live’ audience members at the University’s Regent Street Cinema. Assessment is based on them being able to identify problems during the discovery phase of discussion.
Ideas from the finalists were submitted as presentations or mind maps with the WaterAid team declared the winner. Designing a music festival campaign to drive awareness and action on water and climate issues in the lead up to COP27, students’ innovative ideas included an interactive app and exhibitions in toilet queuing and cubicle areas to educate festival attendees about WaterAid’s focus, namely water, sanitation and hygiene.
A chance to hack into the brains of students from all over the world
A hackathon (derived from ‘hack’ and ‘marathon’) is a problem-solving event designed to facilitate creativity, innovation, and collaboration. Students work in teams, supported by academic experts, to solve defined challenges for public, private, or third sector organisations. This helps to develop their creative thinking, problem-solving and networking skills.
Our partner organisations are free to set their own challenges: solutions for new or improved products and services, how to target a new customer base, or feedback on a specific problem, activity or campaign. In the past, our students have considered how to revolutionise talk about mental health, how to make it easier for international students to experience local culture and how to create a network of young women supporting each other.
Employers
“We were impressed with the commitment and creativity of the WeNetwork team in supporting students to think about their employability and prepare for their future careers. Many of the students we spoke to were passionate about mental health and had a clear understanding of many of the issues, so funnelling this energy and enthusiasm into something like the hackathon was great.”
Amy Anye
Marketing Manager (Mind)
“The Humanities Hackathon put on by the University of Westminster WeNetwork was an incredibly well organised event, with strong, clear communication and expectation management throughout. We were really impressed by the professionalism of the event, and the strong engagement, collaboration, and innovation shown by the students.”
Paolina Della Bordella
Senior Innovation and Strategic Engagement Officer (WaterAid)
Students
“It was an honour to meet all of these people coming from all of these different backgrounds. It was really interesting, for example, I didn’t know much about WaterAid before, and it was great to present it as a brand. It was fascinating, the whole journey and the process to our victory.”
Victoire Georget
BA (Hons) English Literature and Language, University of Westminster
“For me, the biggest impact on the day was engaging professionals (who) I would not usually have the opportunity to meet with, hearing their opinions and conversing freely.”
Adriana Chodelkova
BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics, University of Westminster
Could you challenge our students?
If your business, organisation or charity is currently facing a problem or challenge, why not tap into the enthusiasm and talent within our student body? The University of Westminster is home to over 20,000 students from 155 nations – one of the most diverse, multicultural student bodies in the world.
Hackathons are just one of the many events offered through WeNetwork, alongside expert-led workshops and Inspirational talks; industry networking events; 1:1 business advice and support; paid freelance work and jobs listings; and competitions for start-up funding. To find out more, please contact us: [email protected]