Do you dream of making your community better? Do you have ideas that could help others? All great solutions start with a simple concept. The real challenge is identifying the right idea—and turning it into impact.
In Eastern Kentucky, we know what it’s like to face real barriers. Finding child care, keeping a job without reliable transportation, or trying to afford a place to live. We also know that the solutions already live here in our communities. So how do we bring these solutions to the surface?
This is where the reverse hackathon concept steps in—to uncover and elevate ideas that already exist within our communities.
What is a reverse hackathon?
A traditional hackathon is a collaborative, time-bound event where teams work rapidly to develop solutions to pressing challenges. While often associated with technology, hackathons can be used across many sectors.
Participants collaborate, iterate, and refine ideas together. The goal is to leave the event with tangible solutions.
A reverse hackathon flips this model on its head. Rather than inviting outside experts to define the problems and offer top-down fixes, it starts by listening to the people who live with the problems every day. Together, participants define the real challenges—and co-create solutions that actually fit their lives.
A regular hackathon usually brings in experts to solve a problem someone else has already defined. A reverse hackathon does the opposite. We start by listening to the people who live the problem every day. The ideas and solutions come from the community itself. It’s about listening, sharing, and building things that actually work in the real world. No one is expected to have a perfect plan. What matters is being in the room, thinking together, and making space for bold, local ideas. You don’t need a certain kind of job or background to be part of this.”
–Danna Barnett, SEA Project Manager with the EKY Runway Program
Community Impact
Many of us are all too aware of the challenges we face in our communities. In Eastern Kentucky specifically and the 12-county service region of the EKY Runway Program powered by SOAR, we have found three significant barriers to employment that need to be solved. Challenges like finding child care, affording a place to live, or getting transportation to where we need to go can drastically impact everyday life and limit personal opportunity. In the 12-county region served by the EKY Runway Program, families spend 47% of their income on child care, compared to just 19% nationally. Solving the issue of affordable, accessible child care is essential to helping prime-age individuals return to the workforce.
Ideas to Impact
We believe the best solutions already live here in Eastern Kentucky. They come from residents who face these challenges every day and are ready to imagine better ways forward. Whether it’s turning an old building into a child care center, launching a neighborhood ride service, or rehabbing homes using local workers, these ideas are rooted in reality—and ready to grow.
A Story Waiting to Be Told
Eastern Kentucky has a powerful story to tell—one of innovation, resilience, and community-led solutions. A reverse hackathon helps unlock this potential by putting real people at the center of the conversation.
When we invest in local ideas and the people behind them, we build ventures with built-in demand, trust, and momentum. By inviting those most affected by barriers to lead, we spark new pathways for entrepreneurship and regional transformation.
Together, we can show what’s possible when Eastern Kentucky leads from within.
Join Us: Ideas to Impact — Turning Barriers into Breakthroughs
If you’ve experienced these barriers, you already have what it takes to help fix them. Your voice, your lived experience, and your perspective are exactly what Eastern Kentucky needs right now. That’s why we’re inviting you to Ideas to Impact: Turning Barriers into Breakthroughs, a reverse hackathon event focused on building bold solutions with the people who live the challenges every day.
When: June 3, 2025 – 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM
Where: First Federal Center, Room 123, Hazard Community and Technical College
Who Should Attend: Anyone with a dream to improve life in Eastern Kentucky — whether you have a fleshed-out idea or simply a passion to be part of the solution. No special background required. Just show up ready to think, share, and collaborate.
This event is about co-creating solutions, not just brainstorming. It’s where ideas become ventures, and community members become co-founders of change. You’ll have the chance to work alongside others who care about the same challenges and take the first step toward building something real.
Bring a neighbor. Bring your coworker. Bring your story.
Together, we’ll turn barriers into breakthroughs — one local idea at a time.