The Hacking Heroes story
From conversations in Kalisz and Lisbon, through months of collaboration and workshops in two countries, to an international hackathon in Porto.
Hacking Heroes began before its official Erasmus+ project period. The first idea emerged in late 2015, followed by months of discussion, partnership-building and remote collaboration between Poland and Portugal.
What followed was a programme of programming workshops, international teamwork, a hackathon in Porto and educational work designed to be shared beyond the project itself.
The first conversations
In late 2015, Dominik Kościelak and Aleksandra Kubiak began discussing an educational project built around programming — not simply as a technical skill, but as a way for young people to learn independently, solve problems and work together.
Building the international partnership
Aleksandra Kubiak recognised that the emerging idea could become an international Erasmus+ project. She secured Erasmus+ interest in the project and brought FRIK, ADCE and the other project partners on board.
Designing the programme in Lisbon
In February 2016, after many calls and online exchanges, Dominik travelled to Lisbon to meet João Matos and start developing the programme in detail. The two already knew each other well, having worked together at IDG in London and stayed in touch as friends. In Lisbon, they explored how Hacking Heroes could work across Poland and Portugal: what participants would learn, how the local groups could collaborate, and how practical project work could become central to the programme.
Building the programme
Over the following months, the project took shape through remote collaboration. The team worked on the lesson curriculum, workshop structure, educational approach and practical details required to run the programme across two countries.
The Erasmus+ project formally begins
Hacking Heroes entered its official Erasmus+ funded period on 1 September 2016, supported by partner organisations in Poland and Portugal. The funded project continued until 31 October 2017.
Participant recruitment
Recruitment ran in four stages from 1 December 2016: application forms submitted through the project website, a shortlisting round, individual interviews, and a planned intake of fourteen participants for the Polish group. Applications were open to anyone aged between 13 and 18. No previous programming experience was required — basic English was, because of the project's international character.
Programming workshops in Kalisz and Espinho
From late January to the end of April 2017, participants in Kalisz and Espinho took part in parallel weekly programming workshops. Both groups worked through the foundations of web development, project planning and collaborative problem-solving, with no previous programming experience expected. Although based in two countries, they shared one project identity, communicated remotely and prepared for the work they would later undertake together in Portugal.
Hackathon in Porto
The international finale of the project. Polish and Portuguese participants met in person for the first time, voted on project ideas, formed small international teams and worked together for five days to build them.
Methodology workshops for educators
A two-day meeting for teachers and people working with young learners, held towards the end of the project. Participants were introduced to the teaching methods developed during the programme and to the project's online learning platform.