Presented by Tenacity
The Bourbon Friday Show with Matt Menietti from GlobalHack
We're counting down to GlobalHack 7! In exactly seven days!
EQ readers can get a 25% discount on tickets to GlobalHack VII using the promo code: EQSTL2
On this episode of the Bourbon Friday Show we had the opportunity to talk with Matt Menetti, Executive Director of GlobalHack, about GlobalHackβs upcoming hackathon on October 12-14.
Committed to Workforce Development
Many people in the St. Louis region may know of GlobalHack through their widely-renowned hackathonsβwhich are indeed, a big part of what they do.
What people may not know, though, is that GlobalHack also engages with the community through their youth classes and camps, as well as various other programs aimed at introducing young minds to the world of coding and different aspects of software development and computer science.
With classes ranging from beginner friendly CS First, which is geared towards younger students, to more advanced courses such as Youth Coding League for middle school students, thereβs no shortage of educational opportunities.
And in a time where computer science education is still seen as more of a βnice to haveβ skill instead of a requirement, these opportunities have never been more important.
Social Impact through Technology
While these initiatives to fill those technology educational gaps are important for future generations, another big part of GlobalHackβs mission is also about driving social impact through technology βin which the hackathons play a large role.
In fact, each GlobalHack hackathon is aimed at creating a technology driven solution to a large-scale social issue. Over the course of 36 to 48 hours, participants will ideate and ultimately create a functioning prototype of their solution to be presented at the end of the weekend.
By working on these types of issues in a fast-paced hackathon setting, Menietti believes that itβs not only more compelling for the participants, but also has the potential to drive more impact for the community since large organizations often canβt move as fast to provide solutions.
By contrast, hackathons do exactly that: identify and solve problems quickly.
For more information or to participate on this yearβs GlobalHack IIV hackathon on October 12-14, check out EQ’s previous coverage or visit: globalhack.org.
Bourbon Innovation
The bottle this week was Cedar Ridge Iowa Bourbon Whiskey, which is fitting since both Bourbon Friday founder Erik, and guest Matt both hail from Iowa.
And while Iowa isnβt typically the first state many people think of when talking about bourbon, all bourbon is in fact created with one of Iowaβs largest exports: corn.
EQ readers can get a 25% discount on tickets to GlobalHack VII using the promo code: EQSTL2