Ask HN: What are some challenges that need solved for Social Justice?

2 points by vajrapani666 8 years ago | 1 comment

I'm mentoring a team of student-developers and need to come up with a few projects for them to work on. It would be great if they had some things to work on that could solve challenges in underserved communities. A few ideas I had mulling around, was wondering if HN could think of more ideas.

- Food Justice: A place for people with extra produce to offer their produce to their neighbors.

- Criminal Justice: A way for people in New Orleans with incarcerated loved ones in Louisiana State Penitentiary to pool their resources to find rides to the distant prison.

- A place to receive notifications about and engage with city & state legislation around a chosen topic. e.g. "Let me know when the next LGBT bill is up for vote in my city or state". Provide a platform for people to engage with their government (like Countable, but for state & local government)

Any feedback on these ideas? Or more challenges that technology might be able to help address in underserved communities?

cimmanom 8 years ago |

Your idea about food brought to mind the food deserts that are common in many cities, where the only places people can get to to buy food are convenience stores that have little to no fresh produce.

How might people be able to pool their resources so that they could bring more produce into the neighborhood? Or even so that one person who is able to visit a further supermarket could bring back produce for a few neighbors who can't, and be assured of being reimbursed?

That's actually a small part of a larger issue around transportation, too. There are many cities in the US where people who don't have cars (can't afford them in the first place; broke down and can't afford repairs; etc.) are utterly cut off from opportunity. Some walk several miles each way to get to and from school or work. Those who are physically disabled or simply not in excellent physical condition are entirely cut off from opportunity.

What about software that helps people ride share not in the sense of "anyone can be a cab driver and work for Uber/Lyft", but in the sense of carpooling; maybe with the carpoolers covering the driver's fuel costs or otherwise contributing a small amount of money (far less than the cost of a cab or Uber) so that everyone wins?