The Evens Foundation has teamed up with Hack Belgium Labs to launch Hack4Votes, an experimental hackathon that will take place in Brussels this December.

The 2024 EU elections are a unique opportunity for young people to have their voices heard, yet they are among the least likely to vote. By not exercising this right, they miss out on a chance to influence policy – from climate change to equality, financial security to housing – even though they will be the most affected in the long term.

Hack4Votes is the first Brussels-based hackathon to directly tackle the issue of youth representation in EU politics by focusing on voting at the EU elections.

Taking place at the BeCentral Digital Campus in the heart of Europe’s political capital, the hackathon will run over two days from 2 to 3 December. Participants will be invited to tackle one of four challenges in multidisciplinary teams.

The event is guided by principles of inclusion and diversity and is open to participants from all backgrounds, skill sets and knowledge areas. Coding experience is not essential.

Find out more about Hack4Votes and how to get involved at Hack4Votes.eu.

With the EU elections on the horizon in 2024, the Evens Foundation is exploring different ways to engage more young people with voting as a fundamental part of the contemporary democratic process. The objective is to find new ways to engage with young audiences, explore the potential of both emerging and existing technologies, and empower youth activists. In September 2023, we also collaborated with Poland’s largest hackathon platform HackYeah! on a challenge for their annual event.