As reported on Simpl in December, Google have asked FutureGov to team up with the RSA and Livity to deliver another Interactivism Hack Weekend. Back in June the first ever Interactivism took place in Brick Lane, East London, and brought together developers (including from Google), designers, social innovators and older people (from Gransnet) to work on solutions to make the internet more accessible for older people. This time we are inviting you to submit ideas that use digital technology to help young people find the job, education or training that is right for them to the Interactivism: Young People’s Hack Weekend challenge. We will be bringing the familiar Interactivism mix of people together on the 17th and 18th February in Ravensbourne, Greenwich, but instead of older people from Gransnet, young people from Livity will be joining the teams to work up your great ideas into working digital prototypes.

2011 was certainly not a dull year for news, but in many ways, it was a depressing one. You don’t need me to remind you that “global economic crisis”, “Eurozone crisis”, “public sector cuts”, “youth unemployment” adorned many a newspaper headline and newsreader’s reel. But, as Julian Thompson, Director of Enterprise at the RSA, admitted in his blog about Interactivism, these news stories became something that many of us tried to avoid.

I am hoping that now we have leapt into 2012, the new year will bring with it some new energy that will inspire us to think again and tackle, rather than avoid, these big challenges. Of course, most of us are not in the position to set national growth strategies or clear global debt, but I believe that some of the best solutions ultimately come from the bottom up and if we have learnt nothing else from this gloom, it is that we can’t sit around waiting for politicians to work their magic and make everything better for us, we need to do something ourselves. Interactivism: Young People’s Hack Weekend is your chance to do just that.

You can find out more about the Interactivism challenge, including how to enter your idea or register your interest in attending, here. You don’t have to have entered an idea to come along to the two day event – we are looking for designers and developers (including students) to help the teams bring their ideas to life. There are exciting prizes, including Google Chromebooks, lined up for the winning team. So get thinking, be creative, be different and post your idea on Simpl now. The closing date is the 25th January 2012.

To keep up-to-date with the Interactivism challenge’s progress, including the announcement of the winning ideas, please follow the Simpl blog or the Simpl twitter account.

If you want to know more, please get in touch: lucy [at] wearefuturegov [dot] com or rachel [at] wearefuturegov.com.