The Next Generation: Teens Display Tech Chops at Symantec Hackathon

The ongoing battles between cyber criminals and security teams sometimes assumes the appearance of an endless stalemate. But a group of technically-skilled high schoolers participating in a recent hackathon showed that there’s still room for fresh ideas about how to break the logjam and combat cyber crime and corruption.

The student teams, who gathered at Symantec’s Mountain View, Ca. headquarters last week, came from South Africa, Indonesia, Bolivia, and United States to participate in a three-day #Hack4Justice Hackathon to compete and build applications that help solve criminal justice issues.

#Hack4Justice served as a platform for the teens to focus on developing applications that addressed problems in global criminal justice, organized crime, drug-related crime, and crime prevention. The event was organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and Africa Teen Geeks, a South African organization that provides computer science training in underserved communities.

“I was able to meet a lot of new people and I got to talk to a lot of the mentors and learn about how they got into the positions they are in today,” said Malinalli Cervantes from the United States.
 

The hackathon offered Cervantes and her fellow coders an opportunity to showcase their considerable talents - and passions - for software design and development. Taking place in the heart of the Silicon Valley, the hackathon also offered the students a chance to gain valuable insights from the several Symantec employees who served as mentors at the event, sharing experiences about what it’s like to develop software applications at a global company in the United States.

The South African team (nicknamed Wakanda Vibes), placed first with a mobile social justice app that allows users to alert incidences of human trafficking while also offering education about different types of organized crime and how to prevent them. The app featured a way to alert local authorities as well as notify a personal contact if a user found themselves in trouble.

The Beyond Zero team from Indonesia placed runner-up with an interactive game that teaches players about cyber crime and corruption, allowing users to play the role of a Mayor working to keep citizens safe.   

“Most of the time, kids and teenagers enjoy playing games,” said Christian Jehoshaphat Suryo a member of Beyond Zero. “So that is our way to help and educate our peers about these kinds of things interactively”.

The Bolivian Cultura Marraqueta team created a game that educates users about the importance of the correct use of social media with special attention to cyber crime related to data security.

Meanwhile the Hidden Colors squad representing the United States developed an educational crime location app with news and information about human trafficking and how to prevent. The app also included personal stories as well as local updated news related to trafficking in the San Francisco bay area.

 “I have been to a lot of hackathons with students all over the world and they are very innovative,” said Eileen Brewer, Director of Program Management at Symantec. “It’s a great opportunity to talk to them about the employment opportunities for diversity around the world and we really like the ideas that come from everyone.”

As the teams completed their projects and presented their ideas, all participants showed immense interests in solving these problems with an eye towards the future.  Watching the teams go about their tasks, one could see their energy and eagerness to share ideas as they got to know the members of the other students from the different countries. All in all, it was a welcome reminder that another generation of brilliant young minds is waiting in the wings to contribute to the future of the tech industry.