Educational hackathon

📌 General Overview and Role in the Project

The Educational Hackathon on inclusive themes, originally launched in 2019, has become an organic part of the SEED:EU4UA project, gaining new momentum and a distinctly European dimension.
Its aim is to create a space for student creativity, research presentation, and analysis of both European and Ukrainian practices in inclusion, with a particular emphasis on digital formats.
More than just a competition, the Hackathon serves as a platform for developing the professional identity of future teachers, social workers, and psychologists.

📊 Format and Implementation (according to the project proposal)

• Duration: 21 days (online)

• Platform: Facebook group + digital tools (Canva, Google Slides, video editors, etc.)

• Participants and audience: 310 direct and engaged participants

• Evaluation: expert jury + public voting

🎯 Hackathon Objectives

• Promote innovative inclusive practices, especially those from EU countries

• Develop participants' presentation and analytical thinking skills

• Encourage interdisciplinary approaches to inclusive education

• Foster an educational community that connects intergenerational experiences

🧩 Content and Thematic Areas

• ⚙️ European models for supporting children with special educational needs (SEN)

• 💬 Inclusion during wartime: psychological resilience and support

• 🧠 Social adaptation through play, art, and communication

• 🌐 Digital tools for distance inclusive education

• 🤝 Volunteering as a factor of socialisation
   ...

📈 Results and Analytical Highlights

👥 Participation and Engagement

• Engagement rate: over 80% of participants actively commented and interacted with others' posts

• Voting format (likes/reactions) contributed to the topic's visibility beyond the academic audience

• Discussions: the comments reflected meaningful exchanges — a sign of an emerging online community

🎓 Educational Impact

• Student-led analysis: most submissions included reflections, conclusions, and contextualisation within Ukrainian realities

• Practice-oriented: emphasis on the local applicability of materials (e.g., adapted games, lesson modifications)

🇪🇺 European Context

• Around 50% of the works were directly based on EU practices

• Relevance: students referred to current documents from the European Commission, FRA, Erasmus+, UNICEF, etc.