Young people hacking the government

On the 2nd of August, young coders and designers across the country will be getting together to show the Government what they can do with open data, and NixonMcInnes are hosting the Brighton outpost.

It’s this year’s Young Rewired State, a week-long event to give 15-18 year-olds the opportunity to put their skills into practice, supported by experienced professional developers and designers.

They’ll spend a week in the offices of a business, exploring how they can turn the mountain of information on Data.gov.uk into websites, applications, visualisations (digital or not), which they’ll present back via a live stream to people in Government.

At the moment we’re looking to get some local interest in taking part at NM HQ in central Brighton – so if you are, or know someone who is:

• between 15 and 18 years old
• can code or design to a reasonable standard
• is excited by the opportunity to work with others to create stuff…

…then sign up (or ask the person you know to sign up) on the Young Rewired State page

I’m also after Brighton-digital-type-people, to introduce our group to as wide an array of talent as possible and give our group some extra support, either with advice on coding or design layouts, or showing them something they’ve done that might give them some inspiration. If this sounds like you, give me a ring or drop me an email

I proffered NM as a centre because I think this is a brilliant opportunity, not just for young people to get some practical experience and exposure, but for the digital community to play an active part in nurturing talent and instilling a passion for web democracy in the next generation.

If you agree, help me out and spread the word.

In the meantime, here are some photos from last year’s event up at Google HQ.