Why organize the Step One Hackathon?

A short story. Justine, a science communicator in Saint-Leu on Réunion Island, has been leading nature outings for families and high school students for years. She feels that three things are missing: simple and robust protocols, ready-to-publish materials, and a framework for involving other operators without losing the local DNA. Step One serves as a springboard. In 5 days, her idea of “Sentinel Reefs of the Lagoons” becomes a cataloged project, with a monitoring protocol, educational kit, web page, checklists, partners, and timeline. What started as science education or citizen science now enters the realm of Participatory Science, even Participatory Research.

What operators gain

• Frameworks that respect their practices: we start from their topics, audiences, and constraints.
• Models and SOPs that reduce time-to-market: project sheets, protocols, web templates, budgets, RACI, risk logs, media kits.
• A network effect without dispossession: possible co-branding, credibility from an international NGO, scientific and civic recognition.
• A recurring economic pipeline: classes, clubs, camps, workshops, training, kits/products, services and consulting.

Approach. Zero hype, 100% service. We build on what you already have, and collaborate to go further, on your terms.

The format: 5 days, with or without accommodation

Pedagogy. A mix of practical workshops, short plenary sessions, and hands-on project development. We learn by building and testing, not by sitting still.

Two logistic formats
 Residential (with accommodation): full immersion, thematic dinners, afterworks or debates. Team cohesion is at its best.
 Day program (without accommodation): same content, extended days, with an evening event (“local specialties” dinner).

Sample living agenda
 Day 1 – Frameworks & framing: understanding local issues, audience mapping, topic selection, first deliverables.
 Day 2 – Design: participatory protocols, educational pathways, safety, inclusion, initial materials.
 Day 3 – Prototyping: iterations on kits and content, workshop tests, adjustments.
 Day 4 – Dry-run: full rehearsals under near-real conditions, operational documentation.
 Day 5 – Packaging & public pitch: final catalog sheets, ready-to-publish pages, RACI, 90/180/365-day plan, open presentation and commitments.

What your team takes away and knows how to do after 5 days

“Catalogue-ready” deliverables (public + internal version)

• Complete project sheet: promise, educational and scientific objectives, target audiences, calendar, pricing, logistical requirements.
• Participatory protocol (field/lab/data) and turnkey educational kit (animation, mediation, and teaching sequences).
• Operational plan: locations, permits, safety, equipment, facilitation, partners, checklists.
• Communication materials: webpage or mini-site, poster, 3–5 minute pitch, social media elements.
• 90/180/365-day roadmap: milestones, RACI, risks/mitigations, adoption and impact KPIs.

Consolidated skills
 Knowledge: components of citizen science, project-based pedagogy, ethics and dissemination, SDGs.
 Know-how: define, design, secure, organize, document, and publish an operation.
 Soft skills: facilitation and teaching posture, cooperation, feedback, multi-audience mediation.
 Common language & framework: shared definitions (operation, indicators, restitution), common templates, common way of presenting projects.

7 concrete examples from a single territory

 “Dolphin Watchers”: ethical observation protocols, behavior sheets, anonymized dataset, workshops with families and high school students, partnership with a local nautical operator for safety.
 “Highland Birds”: ridge and edge trail walks, dawn listening points, ID notebooks, Wednesday clubs, monthly online newsletter.
 “Sentinel Reefs”: simple transects, visual surveys, popular science kits on bleaching and resilience, traveling school exhibit, citizen outing calendar.
 “Bioclimatic Homes”: model workshops & microclimate recordings (shade/wind/thermal inertia), passive diagnostics (orientation, shading, vegetation), site visits, open source mini-simulations, low-tech renovation roadmap.
 “Drone for Science”: flight plan & safety, cartography/photogrammetry (coast, mangroves, lava flows), orthomosaics & profiles, GDPR/consent protocol, beginner drone piloting & data analysis training.
 “Geology & Crystals”: outcrop routes, mineral sheets (structure, hardness, cleavage), magnifiers & non-destructive tests, responsible observation protocol (no collection in protected zones), educational sample exhibit.
 “Traces of the Past” (paleontology): fossil and ichnite site mapping, non-invasive protocol (scale photo, geolocation), educational/3D casts when permitted, reconstruction workshops (habitats/species), reporting procedure to authorities.

Each project comes with its catalog sheet, webpage, logistics, checklists, partners, and roadmap. The following Saturday, a pilot workshop can already be up and running.

The transferred toolbox (facilitation-teaching + design-development)

 Project canvas: objectives, audiences, partners, protocol, logistics, budget, risks, indicators, restitution.
 Pedagogical progression: charter, steps, evaluations, “typical week,” team-building games.
 Facilitation and teaching tools: scenarios, mediation materials, serious games, public restitution guides.
 Design & dev tools: prototyping (sensors/kits), technical docs, communication assets (poster, pitch, webpage), implementation checklists.
 Organization & quality: field safety, insurance, administrative aspects, continuous evaluation, feedback loops.

Economic impact and jobs: tangible, local, sustainable

During the St1: food, lodging, venues, audiovisual, fablab, media.
After the St1: school classes, clubs, camps, programs, trainings, kits/educational materials, mediation and consulting services, entrepreneurial opportunities (associations, co-ops, micro-enterprises).
Activated roles: coordinators, science mediators/educators, designers/makers, partnership managers; medium-term: specialized trainers, program leads, social entrepreneurs.

A local team doesn’t wait for an unlikely grant: it builds a portfolio of tangible, marketable, useful activities that fund jobs.

How does a Local OSI Group start in your region (and remain autonomous)?

Step 1 — Connect and structure
Organize Step One locally; open public pages (local group, local St1) and a simple forum; form the core team (Operations Director, Pedagogy & Logistics, Participation & Fundraising Development, Research Program); choose 2–3 priority operations.
Result: access to basic templates and standards (sheets, protocols, checklists, web layouts).

Step 2 — Run a first cycle
Pre-camp → operation → post-camp; each role adopts its toolkit (OpsDir, PED-LOG, DEV, Research, facilitators).
Result: packaged deliverables (catalog descriptions, SOPs, comms materials, RACI, risks) ready to relaunch.

Step 3 — Industrialize and sustain
Publish descriptions, set up intranet and governance (steering committee, rituals), repeat (families, schools, clubs), capitalize (post-camp, data, feedback), aim for local financial balance and certification of key personnel.
Result: functional local group able to operate independently.

Who signs up? (and prerequisites)

Teachers, educators, mediators, guides, researchers/engineers, NGO/institutional leaders, students, career changers, economic and public stakeholders.
Prerequisites: none required. Motivation, team spirit, and willingness to try and iterate are enough.
Inclusiveness: social pricing, partnerships, sponsorship possible for scholarships.

Your role in organizing and registering

You: choose the city, book the venue (60–100 people), activate your networks (registrations), coordinate partners and media.
We: provide content, methods, toolkits (SOPs, templates, canvas), create the pages (local group, local St1), the forum, the call/registration script, and train through practice.

Acquisition tip: target three circles — professional communities (teachers, educators, clubs), motivated public (families/students), local businesses (CSR). Offer 2 spots sponsored by a co-branded partner, and discounted early bird tickets.

Take action in three steps

1) Block a date (November, March or June depending on your season), confirm venue and format (residential/day).
2) Open the pages (local group, local St1) + a forum, launch registration call (target: 50–80).
3) Prepare 2–3 “priority territory” operations to package on Day 5 and publish the following week.

What you bring / what we bring

 You: topics and audiences, local networks, logistics, registration outreach, partner and media relations.
 We: pedagogical frameworks, protocols, kits, templates, final packaging (catalog), follow-up rituals, light support for the first cycle.

Common misconceptions

 “We don’t need OSI to do this.” True — and that’s the point. You already know how to do it. Step One accelerates what you already do, with useful structures and a network.
 “It’s going to be administratively heavy.” Templates, sprints and checklists reduce the load; you leave with deliverables ready to publish and operate.

In conclusion

If you want to build a local team and launch meaningful activities (education, citizen science, scientific tourism) without losing your identity, organize Step One in your region. We’ll transfer the tools and the framework; you stay in charge of execution, jobs, and the value created. The following week, your first workshops can already be up and running. Justine’s story can become yours too.

To see the content of a Step One Citizen Science Hackathon: Check this page "Training in Citizen Science

To organize a Step One Hackathon in your region and launch a Local Group, contact us!