Fighting The World’s Problems Through Virtual Collaboration

DemocracyLab holds its annual Earthathon for a communal fight against the problems facing us today. Earthathon is a free, online event that offers students, project leaders, and volunteers the opportunity to contribute to tech-for-good projects. The event brings together professionals and students who are eager to grow their network, sharpen their skills, and work towards solving the world’s challenges.

Quizzy.news, a web app in development aimed at combating misinformation, participated in the DemocracyLab 2024 Earthathon. This app offers a daily quiz to help users stay informed with reputable information. Emily Lange, the founder of Quizzy.news, discovered DemocracyLab while seeking to connect with online communities to advance her design career. As she became more involved with DemocracyLab’s network, she learned about the 2023 DemocracyLab Earthathon and decided to propose her project. Emily had already designed and user-tested Quizzy.news but needed front-end and back-end developers who shared the app’s mission and were eager to enhance their skills and experience.

“One of the most rewarding things about being a part of the Earthathon was being a part of a community that’s doing exciting things, especially being able to offer my own project as something for folks to participate with.”

Emily Lange, Project Owner of Quizzy.news

After the 2023 Earthathon, a volunteer collaborated with Emily to establish Quizzy.news’ GitHub presence and set up engineering guidelines. This volunteer also connected Emily with others who worked on Quizzy.news for several months, paving the way for additional contributors. During this year’s Earthathon, Emily and a team of engineers added a loading screen, designed a loading page, and implemented other essential engineering and design components for the app to run smoothly. They are currently in the final stages of refining the UI and plan to launch the app soon.

It was fun to be waiting to meet totally brand new volunteers who were eager to help and grow their experiences.I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Earthathon. It helped me grow in totally unexpected ways, helped my project grow, and gave me and many other volunteers a very enriching experience in the intersection of technology and goodwill. Quizzy.news is forever grateful for the jumpstart DemocracyLab gave us!

Emily Lange, Project Owner of Quizzy.news

About DemocracyLab:

DemocracyLab is an open marketplace that connects tech-for-good projects with volunteers.

If you’re looking for an experiential learning opportunity to hone your skills or an avenue to create social impact by sharing your wisdom, explore the 200+ projects listed on our website.

If skilled talent is what you need to further your mission, register your organization on our platform to find volunteers.

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Written by: Cornelius Smith