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Youth Social Hackathon concludes with proposals mental health, ecology

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5 hours ago

August 1, 2026

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Youth Social Hackathon concludes with proposals mental health, ecology

Armed with digital blueprints, pitch decks, and a shared urgency for social change, 70 high school students from 12 Catholic schools across Thailand concluded the third season of the MISSION POSSIBLE Youth Social Hackathon.

By Chainarong Monthienvichienchai & June Nattha Nuchsuwan

Choosing tailor-made digital platforms as their primary tool for social change, the young changemakers presented innovative non-profit solutions addressing some of the country’s most persistent social, ecological, and human challenges.

The Catholic Education Council of Thailand and LiCAS News co-organized the gathering at the Salesian Retreat House and Hua Hin Vittayalai School in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin under the theme, “Together We Make a Better World Possible.”

Building on its 2024 and 2025 editions, the youth social hackathon concluded with five-minute “mic-off” pitches from each participating team. Competing for critical seed funding, the students “hackers” pitched projects intended to serve the common good rather than generate commercial profit.

Faith in action and the synodal calling

The final day opened with a Liturgy of the Word presided over by retired Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil of Surat Thani and former chairman of Thailand’s Social Communication Commission.

In his homily, the prelate urged the students to embody the Gospel imperative of being the “salt of the earth and the light of the world” by preserving goodness in society and developing pathbreaking solutions.

Reminding the delegates that human effort finds its ultimate strength in divine grace, Bishop Prathan assured them that, “with God by your side, even an impossible mission becomes “Mission Possible”.

Bishop Emeritus Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil of the Diocese of Surat Thani presides over the opening Liturgy of the Word on the final day of MISSION POSSIBLE Thailand Season 3, July 27, 2026. (Photo by Catholic Social Communications of Thailand)

Throughout the gathering, organizers repeatedly challenged the teams to ensure that their technical models fostered synodality or the practice of deep listening, walking together, and including people on the margins of society.

Although the students came from diverse religious traditions, the predominantly Buddhist group embraced the pastoral vision.

“This was not just about fostering technical innovation. It was a living experience of a Church that listens, trusts, and empowers the young, generating actionable insights with authentic, real-world impact,” one event mentor observed.

Award-winning solutions for mental health and ecological dignity

An all-female team from Assumption Convent School (run by the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres) in Bangkok was given the “burden and responsibility” of the top seed grant of 110,000 Thai Baht or approximately US$3,200.

The team’s pitch addresses the growing mental health crisis among Thai teenagers, a problem exacerbated by academic pressures, digital connectivity, economic anxiety, and other personal difficulties.

Pranchalee Chitvimolrat, an 11th-grade student at Assumption Convent, explained that her team spent more than two months holding weekly deliberations before narrowing its focus.

“Even though our school prioritizes mental health and even provides direct counseling from psychiatrists, the crisis of depression in children persists,” Pranchalee said with a bright smile after securing the grant.

“We realized that small but important feelings were being ignored until they escalated into severe stress or self-harm. We wanted to catch the root cause early,” she added.

Using the seed funding, the team plans to design a custom mobile application offering accessible, early-stage emotional tracking leveraging the digital tool to provide crucial human connection through peer-support.

12 teams from Catholic schools across Thailand gather on the final day of season 3 of MISSION POSSIBLE Thailand Youth Social Hackathon at Hua Hin Vittayalai School, Thailand, July 27, 2026 (Photo by Catholic Social Communications of Thailand)

While the students will work with professional developers to code the application, Pranchalee emphasized that the conceptual vision and user experience design would remain entirely in the hands of their team.

The team from Theppamit Suksa School in Surat Thani, from southern Thailand, received the next seed funding of 75,000 Thai Baht or approximately US$2,200. Its members traveled seven hours from southern Thailand to participate in the event.

Their project applies the principles of synodality to waste management and the informal labor economy.

“At first, we were pulled in many directions with different ideas,” 11th-grade team member Kritapob Kaewhitnui said.

“But after listening carefully to everyone on our team—including perspectives from those on the fringe of society—we decided to tackle the ‘garbage’ problem,” Kaewhitnui added.

The team proposed a lightweight, customized mobile application designed to connect local informal waste collectors with household sellers.

The digital platform would streamline collection routes, reduce disposal costs for families, and provide fairer, more predictable incomes for informal sanitation workers whose labor is frequently overlooked.

Youth “hackers” pitch their solutions to chronic social issues in their local communities on the final day of MISSION POSSIBLE Thailand Season 3, July 27, 2026. (Photo by Catholic Social Communications of Thailand)

Seed funding of 40,000 Thai Baht or approximately US$1,200 was also given to Don Bosco Technical School – the only vocational school in this season. Their defiance pitch was rooted in the frustration experienced by many vocational students in Thailand where they are perceived by the wider society as being less educated and less well behaved.

They put their hope to change such mindset in a digital platform to connect those who cannot afford to maintain their cars and other machineries to volunteer students from first their school, but then scale up later to vocational schools around the country.

Sister Nina Benedikta Krapić, MVZ, Deputy Director of the Holy See Press Office, praised the students for viewing innovation through the lens of human care. (Photo by Catholic Social Commmunications of Thailand)

Encouragement from Rome and the diplomatic corps

The participants also received messages of support from Church leaders who addressed the assembly during the event’s opening sessions.

In a video message from the Vatican, Sister Nina Benedikta Krapić, MVZ, deputy director of the Holy See Press Office, praised the students for viewing innovation through the lens of human care.

Sister Krapić, who attended the first two seasons in person, noted that the relational growth among the students far outweighed the technological output.

“Listening to your ideas and observing your creativity gives me great hope for the future,” Sister Krapić told the assembly.

“Very often, you are even more courageous than adults when it comes to standing firm in defense of human dignity,” said Sister Krapić, who is a communication expert.

Anchoring her address in Catholic social teaching, Sister Krapić cited Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, reminding the students that “the quality of a civilization is measured not by the power of its means, but by the care it is able to offer.”

Father François-Xavier Collin of the Apostolic Nunciature in Thailand addresses the participants of MISSION POSSIBLE Thailand Season 3, July 27, 2026. (Photo by Catholic Social Communications of Thailand)

Father François-Xavier Collin of the Apostolic Nunciature in Thailand also reminded the delegates that the hackathon was more than an academic or technical competition.

Calling on the students to cultivate “attitudes of the heart,” Father Collin urged them to practice honesty when identifying societal wounds and to listen deeply and attentively to one another.

“If you speak the truth with honesty and from the heart, God can speak through you to us and to the whole world,” Father Collin emphasized.

MISSION POSSIBLE is a flagship youth engagement program of LiCAS News, organized in collaboration with Catholic academic institutions and youth-oriented organizations. (Photo by Catholic Social Communications of Thailand)

As the 2026 MISSION POSSIBLE Youth Social Hackathon concluded, the 70 participants left the coastal resort with awards, technical prototypes, and structured action plans to implement in their respective communities.

Their pitches of hope reflected the event’s emphasis on pairing technology with empathetic listening, inclusion, and service to vulnerable communities.

MISSION POSSIBLE is a flagship youth engagement program of LiCAS News, organized in collaboration with Catholic academic institutions and youth-oriented organizations.

The first MISSION POSSIBLE Youth Social Hackathon was held in Thailand in 2024. The initiative launched its Philippines edition in 2025, and organizers plan to bring the program to other Southeast Asian countries.