Everyone Can Build Things Now


An AI hackathon for beginners. No coding experience required - just an idea.


Turn Your Ideas Into Working Software - By Describing Them in Plain English



Until very recently, building an app meant years of learning to code. Not anymore. In HELM Life's AI Hackathon, 10-20 colleagues with no technical background sit down with a real AI coding agent, describe what they want to build, and watch it come to life - files, code, fixes and all. By the end, everyone has built something that works, and understands what AI can actually do.







~ $ claude ❯ Build me a website that shows the musicians who influenced Nina Simone, and who she went on to inspire ● I'll create an interactive network map. Let me set up the project... Created index.html, data.js, styles.css Started preview at localhost:3000 ● Done! Click any artist to see their connections.

The Real Tool. Not a Toy Version.


Participants use Claude Code - the same AI coding agent professional developers use every day - running in their own private, browser-based workspace. No simplified app builder, no drag-and-drop templates.

They type what they want in plain English, then watch the AI create files, run commands, fix its own errors and build a working application they can preview in their browser.

Nothing to install. Nothing to configure. Just log in and start building.



Who Gets to Build the Future?


For decades, the ability to create software has belonged to a small group of people - those who had the time, money and access to learn to code. That meant the tools we all use every day were designed by a narrow slice of the people who use them. The people closest to a problem were rarely the ones who could build the solution.

AI coding changes who gets to build. When the skill that matters most is describing a problem clearly - something everyone already does - the barrier drops for everyone. Your front-line staff, your community leaders, your employee resource groups and the colleague who's "not a tech person" can all turn their ideas into working tools.


Colleagues gathered around a laptop asking what they could build: a Spotify music app, a photo-to-list tool, a sports schedule organizer, a show tracker and a Pokémon sorter

Closing the AI Skills Gap Before It Widens


AI skills are quickly becoming career skills. When only some employees get the chance to experiment - usually the ones already in technical roles - existing gaps get wider.

A beginner-friendly hackathon gives everyone the same hands-on starting point, in a supportive setting where nobody is expected to already know the answers. It's AI literacy built through doing, not watching.



The Bigger Learning Objective


Participants experience firsthand how AI is lowering traditional barriers to software creation. By making technical capabilities more accessible, we can help more people - regardless of their educational background, profession, age, or previous technical experience - participate in building the tools and technologies that shape our future.


"The goal isn't to turn everyone into a software developer. It's to help everyone recognize that they can now build things they never imagined creating themselves."





What Your Team Walks Away With


This isn't about turning everyone into a developer. It's about understanding what's now possible - and having the confidence to use it.


Real AI Confidence

There's a big difference between hearing about AI and making something with it. Participants leave knowing - first-hand - what AI can and can't do.

Tools for Their Own Work

The trackers, calculators, dashboards and checklists people wish they had? Many can now be built in an afternoon by the person who needs them.

Ideas From Everywhere

Innovation stops being a job for the tech team. When everyone can prototype, good ideas come from every corner of the organization.

Better Conversations With Tech

People who've built something understand how software comes together - making them better partners to IT, product and data teams.

Connection & Belonging

Building alongside colleagues - celebrating each other's projects, swapping ideas, cheering on wins - is a team experience people remember.

Future-Ready Skills

Describing a problem clearly, testing, and iterating with AI are skills that transfer to almost any role - now and in the years ahead.



How the Hackathon Works


Three weekly live sessions plus two optional office hours. A small group of 10-20 curious people. No prescribed project and no expectation of polish - just discovering what's newly possible.

3 weekly sessions
+ 2 optional office hours
10-20 participants
small enough for real support
Claude Code
cloud-based, in the browser
No experience needed
no coding knowledge required


1

Discover What's Possible

75-minute live session
20 minHow AI is changing software development - and who gets to build
15 minQ&A and live demonstrations
15 minBrainstorming: what would you love to build?
25 minGetting started with Claude Code - set up your workspace and begin building
Between sessions: spend 30-60 minutes experimenting with your project.
Office Hours 1 - 30 min, optional. Drop in for troubleshooting, questions and project guidance.
2

Build, Experiment & Problem-Solve

75-minute live session
20 minBuilding on your first project, adding features and troubleshooting with AI
15 minQ&A and sharing discoveries
40 minCollaborative building, discussing roadblocks and working on projects
Between sessions: keep building, experimenting and preparing an optional demo.
Office Hours 2 - 30 min, optional. Drop in for help finishing projects, debugging and preparing for Demo Day.
3

Demo Day!

60-minute live session
10 minWelcome and reflections on the experience
40 minVoluntary project demos - share what you've built
10 minDiscussion: what does this mean for the future of work, creativity and equitable access to technology?



Every Participant Gets:


  • A private cloud workspace with the real Claude Code AI agent
  • Their own files and project folder
  • A live browser preview of the app they're building
  • Saved work that carries over between all three sessions
  • A way to publish and share their finished project
  • Guidance from a HELM Life host throughout

All in the browser - nothing to install, and no IT tickets required.

Projects can even connect to the things people already use - calendars, music, photos, maps - to bring information that lives in lots of different places together.

Connect the things in your life: Spotify, Google Calendar, photos, sports schedules, streaming services, notes and maps all feeding into your own AI-powered app




What Will You Build?


Anything you can describe, you can start building. There's no prescribed project - the best ones come from something people genuinely care about.


Example apps built with AI: a recipe keeper, a life organizer, a college explorer, a sports stats dashboard, an inventions quiz and an interactive history map

A Few Possible Projects


  • A family recipe keeper - snap a photo of a handwritten recipe and save the story behind it
  • A life organizer - photograph a note or flyer and turn it into calendar events
  • A college explorer - compare schools, programs and costs in one place
  • A sports stats dashboard - track your favourite teams and players with charts
  • A trivia game - quiz your colleagues, with scores and a leaderboard
  • An interactive map - tell the story of people and places that matter to you

Or a budget tracker, a gardening planner, a tool for your own job - whatever you've always wished existed.





Who Is This For?


Anyone curious about AI - especially the people who've never thought of themselves as "technical." It's a great fit for employee resource groups, heritage month programming, L&D and AI literacy initiatives, and teams who want to understand what AI means for their work by actually using it. We run it for small groups of 10-20 so that everyone gets the support they need, and can bring it back as often as you'd like.




Things that people ask us:



Do participants need any coding experience?
None at all. The hackathon is designed for complete beginners. If you can describe what you want in a sentence or two, you can build something.
How much time does it take?
About 3.5 hours of live sessions over three weeks - two 75-minute sessions and a 60-minute Demo Day - plus two optional 30-minute office hours. We encourage participants to spend 30-60 minutes experimenting on their own between sessions.
Do I have to present on Demo Day?
No - demos are completely voluntary. Everyone is welcome to share, and everyone is equally welcome to just watch and cheer on their colleagues.
Is this a "no-code" tool?
Not quite - and that's the point. Participants use a real AI coding agent that writes real code. They don't need to write it themselves, but they get the authentic experience of building software and can see exactly how it comes together.
Does anyone need to install anything?
No. Each participant gets a private workspace that runs in the cloud and opens in their web browser. There's nothing for IT to install or approve on company laptops.
Is it safe? What about our company data?
Every participant works in their own isolated workspace, separate from your company systems. Projects are built from scratch, so there's no need to bring in any internal data.
What if someone gets stuck?
A HELM Life host is there throughout every session to help. And part of the fun is learning that when something breaks, you can simply ask the AI to fix it.
Is it suitable for remote or hybrid teams?
Yes - since everything runs in the browser, people can join from anywhere.
Can I see a demo first?
You absolutely can! Schedule a 1:1 demo here.
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