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"Ctrl + Alt + Elite" - a team of computer science students from Bar Ilan University - took the first place
On 16 May 2023, the first Hackathon of its kind was held at the Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman in Jerusalem. Students from institutions for higher education throughout the country, and from different disciplines, joined forces in work teams to brainstorm and find a solution to the challenge set before them: How to connect children and youth with the Office of the Ombudsman? How to acquaint them with the work of the Office and encourage them to use the services of the Office, for themselves and for those around them?
Prior to the event, the teams were invited to a meeting where they learnt about the Office and its modus operandi.
"The sky's the limit", Dr. Esther Ben-Haim, Head of the Office of the Ombudsman, told the participants at the outset of the Hackathon. "Approach the topic from every angle and come up with an innovative - but realistic - solution".
Five work teams took part in the event, during which, for six hours, they put their heads together to crack the challenge posed, supported throughout by different-ranking members of the Office's staff and by a technical support team. Upon completion of the assignment, each team presented its product to the judges, to the staff of the Office and to the other competing teams.
Mr. Matanyahu Englman, State Comptroller and Ombudsman, and Dr. Esther Ben-Haim, Head of the Office of the Ombudsman, were among the four judges who examined the final products and chose the winning team.
"Ctrl + Alt + Elite" - a team of computer science students from Bar Ilan University - took first place, presenting an idea that combines ways of raising the awareness of children and youth about the Office and its activity, via celebrities on social networks, with simplifying the ways of contacting the Office through the use of WhatsApp chatbots, which can receive conversations and convert them into written complaints.
Mr. Englman praised the work teams and told them that it was very interesting to see the special perspective that each one brought. He added that all the teams, including those that did not win, had provided the Office with many insights that would be put into practice. He also added a word of advice on the importance of presenting ideas in a clear and persuasive fashion.
Summing up the event, Dr. Esther Ben Haim told the participants that they had come up with very good and surprising ideas, many of which would be adopted by the Office. She thanked the teams and wished them good luck for the future, encouraging them to tell those around them about the Office and the possibility of using its services.
Source: Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel
