Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies

Hack for Humanity 2025: Global Gun Violence

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Hack for Humanity 2025: Global Gun Violence

Hack for Humanity is an annual humanitarian focused hackathon at Brown University that brings together students to learn about the most pressing needs in the human rights and humanitarian sphere and develop creative ideas for innovative programs or technologies that could help improve the lives of disaster and conflict affected communities around the world. 

This year’s hackathon will focus on the theme of global gun violence. Students will collaborate over two days to design innovative programs, systems, projects, or technologies that address this urgent challenge. The winning team is eligible to receive a $3,000 seed grant.

Register Now!

Join us for this year’s hackathon on November 8-9, where students will collaborate to develop innovative solutions to address the global challenge of gun violence. The winning team will be eligible for a $3,000 seed grant.

Click here to register!

Premise

Global gun violence encompasses the wide-ranging effects of firearm-related harm around the world—and alarmingly, it is on the rise. According to Amnesty International, more than 600 people die every day from firearms globally. Many scholars now regard global gun violence as a public health crisis, as it disproportionately affects minority groups, worsens the mental health crisis, and sustains high rates of morbidity. Preventing gun violence will require coordinated efforts to advance policy, technology, and education while centering the needs and voices of disproportionately impacted communities.

Localization and the involvement of civil society are essential, as local organizations and communities are often the first responders to gun violence. Their work in building resilient prevention systems and raising public awareness is invaluable. A comprehensive approach that strengthens protections and prioritizes equity will be critical to reducing the impacts of global gun violence and ensuring rapid, effective responses to future crises.

Objective

Students will collaborate over two days to design innovative programs, systems, or technologies that address this urgent challenge. Potential areas of focus include strengthening legal and policy frameworks, advancing public health approaches, reducing youth and school-based violence, addressing domestic and gender-based violence, tackling cross-border trafficking and the illicit arms trade, leveraging data and technology for prevention, and supporting mental health and trauma recovery. Please note: You do not need coding or technical experience to participate—your team’s pitch could take the form of a social program, educational campaign, policy proposal, technology concept, or other innovative approach to addressing global gun violence.

While your team has the flexibility to explore any aspect of global gun violence, we have provided a list of potential subtopics to help guide your focus. It will also be important to incorporate cross-cutting issues—such as equity, justice, human rights, and community resilience—as you develop your project pitch.

Potential Subtopics to Consider

Cross-Cutting Themes

As gun violence continues, its social, economic, political, legal and cultural effects are felt across all sectors of society. Even so, these effects are not evenly distributed. Gun violence disproportionately affects the most vulnerable members of the global community, including but not limited to racial and ethnic minorities, women, children, and other disadvantaged and marginalized groups. As such, mitigating global gun violence is not only a political, public health, and security issue—it is also critical to human rights. 

We ask that your team take these following issues into consideration as you work on your project pitch to ensure your solutions are inclusive and reach those that are disproportionately affected by global gun violence. 

Keynote Speaker

  • Adult man in professional clothing

    León Castellanos-Jankiewicz

    Keynote Speaker

    León Castellanos-Jankiewicz is an international law scholar who specializes in arms trade and human rights. He is a Senior Researcher at the Asser Institute for International and European Law in The Hague, where he regularly advises governments on arms export policies, and has extensive experience with projects involving interdisciplinary research, multistakeholder engagement and advocacy. 

    His work focuses on identifying legal safeguards and risk mitigation strategies that can prevent wrongful weapons transfers from threatening human lives and the environment. He teaches international law at the University of Amsterdam, where he also supervises the International Law Clinic on Access to Justice for Gun Violence. 

    Previously, he was Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute, and held visiting positions at Harvard Law School and the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge. He is a listed expert in the Forum on the Arms Trade and sits on the Advisory Board of Global Action on Gun Violence. León holds a PhD in International Law from the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Evaluation Framework

OriginalityProvides a fresh approach to the challenge or utilizes innovative methods.
Respect for Individuals/CommunitiesAimed at addressing needs as defined by the people who are most impacted, and protects the privacy and rights of individuals. 
ContextLeverages existing local resources and knowledge. Respects indigenous material and improvised solutions and either builds upon those or considers them in design.
FeasibilityConsiders logistics of delivery and access, including political, cultural, technological, educational, and infrastructure requirements for delivery and use. 
ImpactHas the potential to make a significant difference in people's lives. Also considers questions of cost vs. benefits, i.e. resources required to produce and deliver solution vs. benefits to individuals. 
SustainabilityRespects relevant time frame for the context, matching the duration of solution to the likely duration of the need. 
PartnershipsConsiders relevant stakeholders and partners, including local and international as well as private and public. Considers how relevant organizations would be involved in use or delivery.

The main purpose of a pitch presentation is to show your proposed solution as an innovative, feasible project. Working along each of the components of the rubric is the key to having a successful pitch, though students may structure their presentation in any way that is appropriate. For the originality and impact sections, presenting the problem statements and mission statements to show the necessity of the project is often a useful task. Additionally, through research students can find specific data regarding the impact and feasibility of the project, including cost projections, existing infrastructure, and/or necessary technology for the proposed solution. Thoroughly covering each of the sections in the rubric is key to a successful pitch in this event, and supersedes the resources below.