Guide for Parents

What is Hack Club?

Hack Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2014, whose mission is to foster a wholesome generation of technologists, builders, founders, and engineers. At Hack Club, young people build the agency, network, and technical talent to think big and do big things in the world.

Hack Club programs are free and accessible to all students thanks to the support of numerous donors. Stasis supports students to create real hardware projects, entirely for free.

Hack Club is supported by many notable figures in the tech industry, including AMD, Dell Founder Michael Dell, as well as executives at Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and GitHub.

Some prior Hack Club events, managed primarily by teenagers, include:

• Undercity: A 4-day, hardware-focused hackathon at GitHub HQ in San Francisco.
• Shipwrecked: A 4-day, outdoors hackathon on an island near Boston.
• Aurora: A 3-day, gender-focused hackathon for girls and non-binary students.

You can see documentaries and videos about our events on our YouTube channel.

What is Stasis?

Stasis is an in-person hackathon (social coding event), with a focus on robotics and electronics. High school students team up to solve challenges through building technical projects.

Along the way, students will meet like-minded, ambitious friends, deepen their technological abilities, and build independence in a safe and supervised environment.

Students qualify to attend Stasis by building electronics projects through the Stasis platform online. They share their digital designs and build them in real life. Cost shouldn't be a barrier — we provide funding to buy parts for each project.

Who Can Attend?

Any teenager 13 to 18, inclusive, regardless of where they live in the world can participate if they qualify. Beginners are welcome, and we have lots of support to get them started.

Students earn bits by completing the design and build stages of hardware projects on the Stasis platform. Reaching 350 bits qualifies them to attend the in-person event.

Why Should Students Attend Stasis?

Hackathons are life-changing. It's the turning point for a lot of people to fall in love with electronics and robotics. Meeting so many people with diverse backgrounds for in-person conversations is eye-opening, especially for most teenagers who have yet to see much of the world.

Stasis is a rare opportunity for students to collaborate with like-minded, technical peers, build a project together, and show off what they made to industry leaders. We'll provide the proper tools, equipment, and support to help students deepen their technological abilities and build independence in a safe, supervised environment.

Over the years, Hack Club alumni have gone on to lead large venture-backed startups and work in major engineering roles at companies like Apple, Meta, Google, Netflix, and Uber — making a real difference in the lives of millions of people.

What Are the Costs?

Participation is entirely free thanks to the support of our donors. Meals, activities, and lodging are all covered. Needs-based stipends are available and students can work for up to $500 of additional travel stipends.

Date and Location

Event dates and location will be communicated to qualifying participants. Access to the venue will be restricted to event staff and participants. Parents are welcome to check out the space when they drop off their child, but will not be allowed to stay in the venue once the event kicks off.

Travel Information

We will have staff-led trips from major nearby airports to the venue, and back after the event ends.

If your child needs to arrive the night before the event, please reach out and we may be able to provide additional accommodation. Requests for early accommodation must be made in writing to our contact email below.

What to Bring

• ID (school/government-issued; if flying, carry a REAL ID)
• Laptop and charger — we will have an adequate number of power strips and outlets
• Water bottle
• Extra clothes
• Toiletries
• Medication, if applicable
• Sleeping bag — participants will be sleeping in dedicated quiet spaces at the venue
• Electronics and hardware for your project (optional; we'll provide plenty)
• Power bank — to keep devices charged throughout the event

Safety and Youth Protection

Hack Club is committed to creating a safe and comfortable environment for everyone at our events. During the event, a toll-free staff helpline will be available 24/7 for you to contact us if needed.

Access to the venue will be limited to event staff and participants with ID checks. Students will not be able to leave the venue without consent from a parent or guardian. Security will be present 24/7 around the venue with staff on site at all times to supervise.

Hack Club events are safe spaces for all students. We aim for a gender-balanced community, and we will provide gender-separated sleeping spaces at the event.

Code of Conduct and Participant Behavior

Just like all of our programs, Stasis follows the Hack Club Code of Conduct. Kindness is a core Hack Club value, and we expect participants to be kind, lead with empathy, and be proactive with helping others.

Participants are explicitly prohibited from actions including, but not limited to: harassment; assault; battery; sexual misconduct; possession or consumption of tobacco, e-cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, or any other controlled substance, regardless of age.

Consequences of violation of this policy include, but are not limited to:

• Removal from the event
• Cancellation of travel funding
• Ban from future Hack Club events or programs

Hack Club reserves the right to notify law enforcement in case of any conduct violations. Our priority is always to remove bad actors immediately and protect our participants.

Caffeine Policy

Caffeine will be available at the event in multiple forms, including coffee, tea, and energy drinks. Caffeine is perfectly healthy in moderation and can help students focus while working on their projects. However, excessive consumption can be harmful. We expect parents to have a conversation with their child to set reasonable limits on caffeine intake before the event.

Youth Protection Plan

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all participants, we have developed a comprehensive Youth Protection Plan outlining the procedures and policies in place to protect youth participants. All full-time Hack Club staff and volunteers are background checked and have completed safety training.

All staff members are required to complete the Hack Club Youth Protection Training program, ensuring they are knowledgeable about:

• Recognizing signs of abuse and neglect
• Appropriate and inappropriate behavior
• Procedures for reporting suspected abuse or misconduct
• Strategies for maintaining a safe and inclusive environment

Participant Registration and Parental Consent

All participants under the age of 18 can sign up and start working on their projects through the Stasis platform without parental consent.

However, in order to attend the in-person Stasis event, everyone under the age of 18 must have a consent form and liability waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian. We collect emergency contact information and medical information including dietary preferences and allergies.

Contact Information

If you have any inquiries, please reach out to us by email. Further contact options will be communicated closer to the event.

During the event, a 24/7 helpline will be available to speak to a staff member immediately. We often find that parents are unable to contact their children due to dead phone batteries — we strongly recommend everyone bring a power bank.

We look forward to welcoming your child to Stasis!