Two years ago we held our first-ever Hackathon aimed at developing a tool to help parole officers do their work. This October, we held our second Hackathon. It was focused on mental health and creating an app that will help employees and their families during their most difficult moments.
Nine teams were formed with over 60 participants from across the country, including the widow of a correctional officer who committed suicide while dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health professional from the United States, and numerous coders from CSC and other federal departments.
Each team developed the prototype of an app they felt would best serve employees and their families. One included a chat function that would connect struggling employees with others in similar situations. Together they could share their feelings and support one another, so they know they are not alone or isolated in their mental health challenges. Another app included a thorough assessment tool to help employees and their families determine what steps to take when particular symptoms arise.
On November 10, an award ceremony was held to congratulate all participants in the Hackathon. Team WaMS (Web and Multimedia Services), composed of three communications advisors at National Headquarters, won the Fan Favorite Award for their app called VENT – an application developed for CSC employees by CSC employees. Team All for Mental Health, composed of staff from the Atlantic Region, took home the big prize, winning first place for creating A4MH, an app that directs users toward tools that have been shown to be effective in improving mental wellness. The app will be developed by CSC’s Information Technology team over the coming months and will be launched to CSC employees and the general public once available.
CSC is proud of its employees and their forward-thinking in developing a tool to help colleagues and loved ones. Keep an eye out for it in your app store!
Each team developed the prototype of an app they felt would best serve employees and their families. One included a chat function that would connect struggling employees with others in similar situations. Together they could share their feelings and support one another, so they know they are not alone or isolated in their mental health challenges. Another app included a thorough assessment tool to help employees and their families determine what steps to take when particular symptoms arise.
On November 10, an award ceremony was held to congratulate all participants in the Hackathon. Team WaMS (Web and Multimedia Services), composed of three communications advisors at National Headquarters, won the Fan Favorite Award for their app called VENT – an application developed for CSC employees by CSC employees. Team All for Mental Health, composed of staff from the Atlantic Region, took home the big prize, winning first place for creating A4MH, an app that directs users toward tools that have been shown to be effective in improving mental wellness. The app will be developed by CSC’s Information Technology team over the coming months and will be launched to CSC employees and the general public once available.
CSC is proud of its employees and their forward-thinking in developing a tool to help colleagues and loved ones. Keep an eye out for it in your app store!