MindMixer & Code For America Announce Civic Hacking Competition Results

OMAHA, Neb. and SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MindMixer (www.mindmixer.com), a place for people to connect with the things they care most about, and Code for America (http://codeforamerica.org), a national non-profit working towards a government that is truly by the people in the 21^st century, will award Alyssa Ravasio of San Francisco with $5,000 in financial support along with mentorship and coaching to develop and implement her idea to create a national integrated discovery website for outdoor recreation resources in 2014. She will also receive a free MindMixer site to implement in the community of her choosing.

"Our country has so many beautiful outdoor spaces for us to enjoy, but it's hard to find out where we can go because the information is fragmented across so many different websites and bureaus that people aren't aware of," said Alyssa Ravasio, winner of Ideation Nation. "I hope my idea will help increase awareness of our amazing natural resources and get more people outside. Public parks serve as powerful engines for local economies, encourage healthy lifestyles and inspire people to protect our environment."

Ideation Nation kicked off on October 15, 2013, prompting Americans to share their ideas for bettering their communities with technology. Following the six-week submission period, a panel of judges including Marci Harris, CEO of PopVox, Jeff Friedman, co-director of City of Philadelphia Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics and Stephen Goldsmith, professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, reviewed the ideas for creativity, innovation and practicality, arriving at 25 finalists. The Ideation Nation community voted for their favorite finalist ideas until November 29, 2013, with Alyssa Ravasio's idea taking the top spot. The remaining 24 finalist ideas will remain publicly available to inspire others looking to get involved in their communities.

"Our intention with Ideation Nation wasn't just to amass ideas around how technology can make communities better. We also wanted to give Americans a reason to start thinking about community involvement in a different way," said Nick Bowden, co-founder and CEO of MindMixer. "We hope with this win and development of this idea, Alyssa becomes a bit of a celebrity at home and helps her community see how they too can redefine civic duty."

Code for America and MindMixer both work to create tools and avenues to help citizens across America effectively communicate with governments. MindMixer was among the first set of companies to participate in Code for America's Accelerator program, which helped further its goal of improving the relationship between people and their civic institutions.

"Congrats to Alyssa and thanks to all who participated. The outpouring of thoughtful and creative ideas during Ideation Nation demonstrates the willingness of citizens to play a much bigger role in our communities and in our governments," said Abhi Nemani, co-executive director of Code for America. "There are now 24 innovative ideas that citizens anywhere can take and implement for their community. This is just the beginning."

About Code for America
Founded in 2009, Code for America (CfA) is a nonprofit collaborating with local governments to foster and facilitate innovation. CfA is known for its fellowship program, which embeds tech and design professionals in local governments explore new approaches to resolving local challenges. Through the Accelerator, Brigade, and Peer Network programs, CfA is connecting cities with startups and volunteers, as well as each other. For more information, watch Founder Jennifer Pahlka's TED talk: http://codeforamerica.org/TED or go to http://codeforamerica.org.

About MindMixer
MindMixer believes that good, informed ideas are out there, but many don't make it to the surface or are drowned out by the volume of usual voices. Leveraging the power of the Internet and social media, MindMixer's online community engagement and social media intelligence tools connect organizations with community members who might not otherwise get involved. With the country's largest suite of best-in-class engagement technology, MindMixer makes it easier for community leadership and members to have more productive, collaborative discussions than they would using traditional approaches like offline town hall meetings and message boards. Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.

Media contacts:
Amanda Ansell
MindMixer
661-992-4488
[email protected]

Lauren Reid
Code for America
415-200-9468
[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]

SOURCE MindMixer