Hackifax is a community group based in Halifax, NS, for young people (13 - 18) interested in programming, electronics, and tech in general. We will meet once a week on the Halifax Peninsula (location to be determined) and work on projects, learning new things by creating. I firmly believe that the best way to learn something is by making, or doing, and that is what we will be doing. Hack Club shares a similar belief, and you can read more about Hack Club below.

Hack Club is a replicable model for a youth community group based around a love for programming, electronics, and tech in general. They provide a network for organizers to build their own Hack Club; Hackifax is one of these Hack Clubs. Learn more about them from their official website here

Many people are intimidated by the word "hacker". They think of matrix computers and hooded people breaking bank accounts and stealing people's personal information. In the context of Hack Club, a hacker is none of these things. It must be clarified that Hackifax has no malicious intent, and you should not join if you have such intent for your programming endeavours. To be a hacker means to enjoy taking things apart to figure out how they work, rewriting apps from scratch to understand their intricate details, and building your knowledge through projects that you enjoy doing.

Hackifax holds this principle at its core: Learning, not school. The structure of classroom learning isn't engaging and fails to inspire a love for learning in students; in fact, it often has the opposite effect, creating a fundamental hatred towards learning as students associate it with entrapment and anxiety. Learning does not have to be like this; it doesn't need to happen in school, and it doesn't need to take away your freedom.  Hackifax believes in learning through doing and intends to build a genuine love for learning.

To join Hackifax, there are a few requirements

1. You MUST be between the ages of 13 and 18 inclusive. 

2. You need to live in Halifax, NS, and be able to attend weekly meetings on the peninsula

3. You must have a genuine interest in and desire to learn about programming, electronics, or tech in general

4. You must have a laptop (Chromebook will do fine) that you can bring to the meetings (if you don't, but meet all other requirements, send me an email)

If all these things are true for you, click here to fill out the interest form!

Nothing! Hackifax is completely free to attend. I pay for the space out of pocket, and the equipment will either be donated or fundraised for. On top of that, Hack Club provides grants and equipment for the completion of projects, learn more about possible prizes by visiting their website here

I love tech. I started programming at a young age and haven't really stopped. I've made really cool projects, but when I show my friends or parents, they (with minimal technology experience) will say "oh that's cool..." but fail to grasp the amount of effort and dedication I put into my projects. Recently, I've realized that there must be other young people around Halifax who have similar experiences, and who would jump at the opportunity to show their hard work to people who will understand how much effort it took to produce, and who could give insight. I'm hoping to create the space I never had, where people can show off their cool stuff, and teach, and learn from, those around them.

I need people to help bring attention to Hackifax. If you want to help out, read more here