​Build & Connect: GDG Markham Hackathon + Social

​Meet a team, build something useful for Markham or your own city, and share what you discovered.

​Join developers, designers, students, product thinkers and community members for GDG Markham’s first Community AI Hackathon + Social.

​The day starts with local voices and local challenges. Markham residents, builders, youth and community representatives will share one-minute reverse pitches about everyday issues, concerns and opportunities in the community.

​From there, you will meet a team and spend the day exploring how AI and technology could help. Technical and product mentors will circulate throughout the build sessions to support your progress.

​You do not need to be technical or arrive with a team, a project idea, a previous hackathon, or tech experience. This space is for everyone.

​Who should join

​We welcome professional developers, students, independent builders and first-time participants who want to build something useful for Markham.

​Teams need complementary skills, including:

• ​Coding, AI and machine learning

• ​Web, mobile and cloud development

• ​User experience and product design

• ​Research and problem definition

• ​Data analysis

• ​Presenting and demonstrating ideas

​You do not need to be an expert. Whether you know the technology, understand a local challenge or enjoy making ideas easier to use, there is a way to contribute.

​What you will build for Markham

​Choose a challenge from the community pitches, bring your own Markham-focused idea or use one of these three starting points:

• ​Make everyday life in Markham easier: Help residents navigate an everyday task, connect with neighbourhood resources or find transportation information.

• ​Improve access to community information: Help residents, youth, newcomers or multilingual households find and understand local services, programs and opportunities.

• ​Support a Markham small business: Build a practical tool that simplifies a recurring task, improves customer experiences or helps a local business connect with its community.

​Other ideas could explore accessibility, sustainability, education, civic participation or neighbourhood connections.

​With approximately three hours of building time, aim for one useful feature or a small prototype. Identify who it is for, what problem it addresses and how it could help.

​Your project can be unfinished. The goal is to make progress on a real local challenge and share what you learned.

​Tools and Google credit

​Participants will receive five hours of free Google credit.

​Teams may explore tools such as:

• ​Gemini and Google AI Studio

• ​Vertex AI and Google Cloud

• ​Firebase, Firestore and Firebase Authentication

• ​Firebase Hosting, App Hosting or Cloud Run

• ​Flutter and Android

• ​Google Maps Platform

​You may also use complementary development and design tools outside the Google ecosystem.

​Before the event, confirmed participants will receive a tool list, account setup instructions, Google credit access details and any recommended installations so they can arrive ready to build.

​Event schedule

​What’s happening:

10:00–10:15 a.m. Coffee, light breakfast, welcome and an introduction to the day

10:15–10:45 a.m. Markham community reverse pitches, idea sharing and team matching

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. First build session, with technical and product mentors circulating

12:15–1:00 p.m. Lunch and social time

1:00–2:30 p.m. Second build session and demo preparation

2:30–3:30 p.m. Project showcase, with timing adjusted to the number of teams

3:30–4:00 p.m. Free attendee prize draw, group photo and final connections

​Organizers will help solo attendees find a team. The schedule may be adjusted slightly before the event.

​A relaxed community showcase

​Each team will share:

• ​What Markham challenge did we choose?

• ​What did we build, and who could it help?

• ​What did we learn?

​Show a live demo, screenshots or a walkthrough. Share your progress even if something is unfinished.

​There is no formal judging. Mentors are there to help you build, and the showcase is an opportunity to exchange ideas with fellow builders and community members.

​The day finishes with a free attendee prize draw, with equal chances for attendees. Project completion and presentation quality do not determine eligibility.

​Build connections that continue

​Meet people who care about Markham and bring different skills, experiences and perspectives to its challenges.

​Team matching, lunch conversations and the showcase will give you opportunities to connect. At lunch, start with a simple question: “What are you building or curious about in Markham?”

​Teams will also be invited to add their projects to a shared directory so participants can discover each other’s work and continue conversations after the event.

​You will leave with hands-on experience, a community-focused project to develop further and new connections within Markham’s technology community.

​What to bring

​Please bring:

• ​A laptop and charger

• ​Any adapters or accessories you need

• ​A GitHub account or preferred source-control account

• ​A reusable water bottle

• ​Your curiosity and willingness to collaborate

​Light breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please share any dietary or accessibility requirements during registration.

​Participation expectations

​Please plan to attend the full event from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., contribute to your team and support a welcoming environment.

​Participants are expected to:

• ​Listen respectfully to community speakers and consider the people affected by each challenge

• ​Treat fellow participants respectfully and follow the event code of conduct

• ​Protect confidential or sensitive information

• ​Use data, code, images and other materials responsibly

• ​Disclose substantial pre-existing work and significant generative AI use

​New project work should be completed during the hackathon. Public APIs, libraries, templates, open-source components and AI development tools may be used.

​Teams retain ownership of their work.

​Registration

​Spaces are limited. Please register only if you expect to attend the full event.

​During registration, tell us:

• ​Your experience and how you would like to contribute

• ​The technologies you are interested in using

• ​The Markham community challenges that interest you

• ​Whether you already have a team

• ​Whether this is your first hackathon

• ​Any dietary or accessibility requirements

​Solo attendees will receive team-matching support.

​Registration does not guarantee admission. Confirmed participants will receive final arrival instructions and event resources by email.

​Location

​88 Doncaster Ave
Markham, ON L3T 1L3, Canada

​Free parking is available at the side and back of the building.

​GDG Markham is an independent, community-led Google Developer Group. Our activities and views should not be attributed to Google.