Evolving from a full-day workshop with students and professors, this year Social Hack is a virtual two-day conference for anyone and everyone. This year’s theme encourages participants to learn design thinking (also known as human-centered design) and think about how we should go about doing work for “social good” when rebuilding a new normal post-COVID-19. We will be touching on capitalist design’s role in systemic inequalities Black and Brown people have been facing through their essential work roles in the pandemic.

Participants will learn how design thinking is used, when to use it, and it’s limitations in the scope of community impact. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from speakers, attend workshops, and actively reflect on how design is used. Both days are structured similarly, with talks in the mornings and interactive workshops in the afternoon. More details and speakers will be announced on socialhackillinois.com!

Scholarships are available via reflection essays to any student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These are aimed to support people dedicated to making impact, and compensate those reflecting on how they want to affect change given their interdisciplinary experiences and information from this event. Prompts will be on our website.

Social Hack is hosted by Design for America, a student run organization at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and 501(c)3 non-profit. Our studio is part of a larger award-winning national network of passionate creators & innovators revolutionizing the way university students engage with & improve the world around us. We seek to build interdiscplinary teams, which means we are open to students of all majors. Anyone interested in design, innovation, entrepreneurship, or just making a difference can help us tackle a wide variety of challenges.

This event is free to all, but donations are welcome! We will be splitting all donations between the following two organizations in the Champaign-Urbana area.

GEO Cross Campus Mutual Aid Solidarity Fund

Any campus worker, regardless of union affiliation, can request support from this fund for any financial need without justifying eligibility. "We believe these efforts are especially critical as we move into an uncertain Fall 2020 semester, one in which the University of Illinois administration has made no clear commitment to worker safety—even as COVID-19 continues to ravage communities. Through creating this fund as well as other ongoing initiatives such as PPE distribution, GEO remains dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of not only graduate employees but of all our campus workers."

Cunningham Township Angel Fund

"The Township’s Angel Donor Fund was launched in 2018 to provide life-saving support for township program participants who have one-time needs that fall outside our programs. 100% of all donated funds go directly to secure food, clothing, housing, power, transportation or other tangible needs on behalf of residents."