FAQs

What is a Migrahack?

A Migrahack is a multimedia storytelling and data-driven approach to improving understanding about immigration through the collaboration of journalists, community partners, and web developers and designers. The purpose of a Migrahack is to bring diverse groups of people together for two days (Friday & Saturday) to “hack” open data on immigration in order to tell stories differently, improve understanding, and change the conversation about immigration. You can find more information about Migrahacking in general and the Colorado Migrahack here: What is a Migrahack?

How do I register? What does it cost?

Registration is now available! Registration is free, but space is limited so please sign up today.

I am a student and want more information about the 100+100=Change funding opportunity.

More information for University of Denver student registrants is available here: Information for Students. 

I want to participate, but I’m not sure if I can attend all day: can I still be involved? 

Absolutely! As long as you are able to contribute to a team’s project you are welcome to be a part of the Migrahacking project. Projects do not need to be worked on onsite, so you can come and go as your schedule allows. You are also welcome to attend certain parts of the event, but not others. The Welcome and Kickoff Breakfast on Friday morning and the Closing Ceremonies reception on Saturday evening are both open to the public. 

I’m curious about the projects: what will we be creating?

We will create multimedia presentations using open source data to describe one or more aspects of immigration to/in Colorado. What a multimedia presentation means to you can vary, but you must use openly available data and try to improve viewers’ understanding of immigration. Some examples of what other Migrahackers have done in the past is available here: Arizona Migrahack Presentations.

I am not tech-savvy. Can I still participate? 

Definitely! Anyone may participate and everyone has something to contribute to a project like this. We will have developers and other technical experts – digital editors, videographers, and more – onsite to help answer questions and brainstorm ideas for all of the teams. 

What are the project requirements? 

All projects must follow the requirements of the Migrahack: use open-source data to create a multimedia presentation intended to improve people’s understanding of immigration. Teams must consist of 2-10 people and may be formed in advance of or during the event. As long as you complete your projects and present them at the closing ceremonies, you may work wherever and whenever you want: Migrahackers are not required to stay onsite for the full 2 days.

What will happen to the projects after the event is over? 

We’re still working on a retention plan, but we plan to host as many of the projects that we can here on our Colorado Migrahack website for as long as possible. Otherwise, teams are welcome to promote their projects on any platforms they find appropriate, including on their organizations’ websites. 

What will happen with the stories, information, and materials created and curated by the Migrahack teams?

Several Colorado media outlets have expressed interest in or are already planning to have reporters involved in the event, including the Colorado Independent, the Colorado Sun, Colorado Public Radio, High Country News, Rocky Mountain PBS, Telemundo, and others. Additionally, some Migrahack teams will focus specifically on the information needs of new arrivals to Colorado and the organizations that serve them, providing website design and social media support.

Who will own the stories, information, and other materials created and curated by Migrahack teams?

We encourage teams to use Creative Commons’ “Attribution Share-Alike” license for any product developed from the Colorado Migrahack for which they would like to secure rights. This license “lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms….This is the license used by Wikipedia, and is recommended for materials that would benefit from incorporating content from Wikipedia and similarly licensed projects.”  This license would allow for maximum flexibility in allowing teams to get credit for what they develop, but also allowing others to build on that work, which is in the spirit of Migrahacks. However, other Creative Commons license options are available here and provide different levels of ownership for creators.  An example of a Creative Commons license used by a journalism organization is ProPublica’s “Steal our stories” policy.

What data will be used and how can we find it? 

We will make available on GitHub a variety of downloaded open source data sets on immigration largely from government sources, such as the U.S. Census, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Colorado Department of Employment and Labor. Here is the link to that growing data resource.

But: any Any openly accessible data is free game. This includes government databases, data collected by newspapers and other media sites, information provided by nonprofits working in immigration, etc. You may be able to find some data just by googling it. Other data is harder to find and requires database access. We will create and share a list of options that we’ve found and will provide access to some of the paid databases through the University’s accounts to help you get started.

What if I want to learn how to get government data that’s not already available?

You’re in luck! We are welcoming Open the Government, a Washington, DC-based open government group, which will offer a workshop aimed at empowering journalists, students and other interested communities to use federal and state laws such the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to uncover facts about the interplay between local governments and the larger immigration system. Participants will work together to determine what type of data or records would be most useful for their work, then collectively create and file information requests seeking the information. OTG will act as a clearinghouse to track information requests, help with appeals, and analyze responses.

I am just interested in the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Workshop on Friday morning. How do I register?

We do not currently have a separate RSVP button for the FOIA Workshop. Please register for the main Friday Migrahack session and then send us an email at mfjs@du.edu to let us know that you only plan to attend the workshop. You will not be expected to attend the rest of the Migrahack events unless you choose to do so.

This is a great idea and I want to be more involved in the planning process! 

We would love to have your input! Please contact Dr. Lynn Schofield Clark at Lynn.Clark@du.edu to be added to our planning contact list. You can also see our weekly updates list.

I would like to spread the information to my organization’s contact list.

Sharing information about the Migrahack is encouraged! We want to involve as many community members and DU folks as possible, so please share widely. Let us know when you do so and we will list you as an official Migrahack cosponsor. 

I am a professor/teacher and would like to involve my class: how can I do that? 

Fantastic! Contact Dr. Lynn Schofield Clark at Lynn.Clark@du.edu and we will find a way to include your class. 

I am attending the Migrahack with others from my organization and we want to be a team: how does that work?

When the registration page opens you will have the option to register just for yourself, for yourself and any guests, or for yourself and a Migrahacking team. Add any guests or teammates under the “Guest” section and be sure to click the “I’m registering as part of a team” button. If you don’t select that option, we will consider any guest names to simply be guests and not teammates. Guests do not need to register a second time: once you add a guest they are fully registered to attend.

Where can I park?

More information about logistics such as transportation and parking will be sent out to registrants in September. 

Tell me more about the money available for community members.

We have $100 available for 100 non-DU attendees who are members of a community that has lived experience with immigration (whether personally or through your career). To be eligible for the $100 you must participate as a member of a team that produces a data-rich multimedia story at the end of the Migrahack. Funds will be made available after Saturday evening’s closing ceremonies. If you are eligible you may register for the event normally; just be sure to select the checkbox on the first page indicating that you are interested in receiving funding. 

I am attending one or more of the events and have a food allergy. How do I tell you?

All of our meals will be served buffet-style, so we will have a range of options available. If you have a severe allergy and are worried about cross-contamination please contact us at mfjs@du.edu or at 303-871-2166.

I want to come, but need childcare. 

We will provide childcare free of charge during the following timeslots. Please click the button next to the timeslots you need on the registration form and we will contact you closer to the event with more information. The timeslots are Friday, Sept. 27 from 8:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., and on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 3:30 – 7:30 p.m. 

Will there be an interpreter on site?

Yes, we plan to have interpreters on site for the full two days. We have not yet finalized the details, so if you’re curious as to whether we will have an interpreter for a certain language, please email us at mfjs@du.edu. 

---