Data for Good

Had to do it: @data-for-good.bsky.social

📢 Better mental health outcomes need better data insights. 📢 1 in 5 Canadians experience mental health challenges, yet data gaps often limit our ability to create effective and accessible service solutions. That’s why Data for Good and Converge Mental Health Coalition are hosting the National Mental Health Datathon 2025. By participating, you’ll: 💡 Work with real-world datasets 💡 Collaborate with mental health and data experts 💡 Help uncover insights that can drive systemic change and social impact 📅 April 5–26, 2025  🔗 Register Now: https://lnkd.in/gWWJpXWM ⭐ Join us and be part of the movement! ⭐ #MentalHealth #Datathon #DataForGood #DataScience #AI #Healthcare #SystemChange

Our director Geoff Zakaib is at the YYC Data Society #YYCDataCon2025 and chatting all things mental health datathon. The datathon is being organized in collaboration with Converge Mental Health Coalition and kicks off on April 5. To learn more, join us tomorrow (Saturday) at 9:50am for a teaser workshop at the Datacon or use the QR code below to express interest and stay up to date on the event.

🚀 🚀 Momentum is building for the National Mental Health Datathon! Converge Mental Health Coalition and Data for Good are joining forces for a nationwide data mobilization event this April, uniting data enthusiasts, mental health organizations, nonprofit leaders, and volunteers to leverage data for meaningful mental health transformation. Curious? Join us in advance at YYC DataCon! Panel Discussion: Transforming Mental Health Through Data – A Datathon to Generate Insights from Data 📅 Feb 28 | 3:05 PM – 3:40 PM MT 📍 Stage 3 | BMO Centre at YYC DataCon 💡 What you’ll gain from this panel discussion: ✅ A first look at the Datathon’s objectives and opportunities ✅ Insights on how data, AI, and analytics can drive solutions in mental health ✅ Ways you can contribute and make a real impact Workshop: National Mental Health Datathon: Ideation & Hands-On Data Workshop 📅 Saturday, Mar. 1 | 9:50 AM – 12:15 PM MT 📍Workshop Room | BMO Centre at YYC DataCon 💡 What you’ll gain from this workshop: ✅ A firsthand look at what to expect at the upcoming datathon ✅ Hands-on exploration of real-world datasets from participating organizations ✅ Practical experience in strategic planning and data analysis ✅ Collaboration skills and team-based brainstorming Get ready to sharpen your skills and make an impact with data! 🔗 Check out the full DataCon schedule & join the conversation: https://lnkd.in/gcpygtFq Learn more about the National Datathon: https://lnkd.in/gGYp6Wta #MentalHealth #Datathon #DataForGood #AI #HealthTech #Innovation #ConvergeCoalition #MentalHealthDatathon #SystemChange

Calling all DfG Canada volunteers -- there is an opportunity to work together on a National DataThon this year! Well, specifically, right about now, things are really getting going, and in April, things will be LIT! FIRE! AWESOME! (choose your own adjective adventure, dear multi-generational supporters). Reach out to your local #dataforgood Chapter to find out more and to get involved:

Recently hosted a talk with Scott McKean for Data for Good YYC that was all about career transitions. Scott deep dived into how he went from an engineer and academic to become a data scientist at Databricks and dropped some insightful gems: - SOAK TIME IS CRITICAL: This resonated with me as you need time to learn things, to face challenges, and to fail and try again. I think people may sometimes want to transition careers for the wrong reasons, like if an industry is trending (e.g., Tech, AI). I know I was guilty of this. If you don't love the process of failing and learning, or have a good reason for making the switch, you won't succeed. - PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS: You could have transferable skills that are applicable to the new career you want. I see this in a lot of the work I do, analyzing how workforces that are facing economic shifts and downturns can leverage existing skills and capabilities towards new careers and industries. Don't reinvent yourself and play to your strengths! - TECHNICAL AREAS ARE CHANGING FAST, BUT SOFT SKILLS CARRY THE DAY: With the growing importance of AI, how we relate as humans is only going to increase in importance. Things change fast, but empathy and curiosity are here to stay ♥️ -- Big thanks to my fellow organizers and volunteers for making the talk so awesome. Geoff Zakaib, P.Eng., MBA, David Chan, Corine Jansonius, Daniel Gale And special thanks to Platform Calgary for providing the venue and supporting us. It was great to meet some new and familiar faces in the community as well. Dan Pham, Aditya Dsouza, Adesegun Koiki, Wenxin (Caroline) WANG, Zoe Xie, Mariia Shekhovtsova, Youssef Elnahrawy, Fidelis Addi Looking forward to more engaging and insightful talks like this one!

The DataKind Playbook just received an exciting revamp, transforming it into a globally-accessible knowledge base for designing and implementing impactful AI and data science projects. With ten new articles tailored to help social impact organizations grow their data maturity, the Playbook offers practical resources on: ✔️ Scoping data projects ✔️ Getting started with data engineering ✔️ Leveraging generative AI Now hosted on GitHub for improved accessibility, the Playbook reflects insights from our community, ensuring it addresses the sector's most pressing challenges. Check it out 👉 👉 https://bit.ly/3ONtsZ6 #datakind #datakindplaybook #datascience #AI #generativeAI #datamaturity #dataengineering #opensource #knowledgebase #communitydriven #AIforGood #TechForGood #socialimpact

I've always been fascinated with people who were able to transition careers, utilizing their existing skillsets to pivot into emerging fields. So I'm super excited to be hosting Data for Good YYC's first Meetup of 2025 where we will have Scott McKean present on how he transitioned from an Engineer to a Data Science Specialist at Databricks. In this Meetup, Scott will candidly walk through his career, from his beginnings as a Civil Engineer, through to grad school, and emergence as a Data Scientist. He will talk about why he's not exceptional, and neither are you (probably), and that's a great thing. He'll also provide some thoughts on the future of data science after generative AI and why he's excited for the next decade. 🍻 We will also have a social afterwards so it'll be a great chance to meet others in the community and have some fun 🍻 Looking forward to seeing you there on Thursday Jan. 23rd at 5:45pm at Platform Calgary! 🔗 Registration link in the comments 🔗 #CareerTransition #DataScience #AI #Databricks #DataforGood

Data for Good YYC is back with their first Meetup of 2025! We always get lots of questions from members about how to gain data science / AI skills and transition into the field, so who better to hear it from than someone who has done just that! We are very excited to have Scott McKean present to us on how he transitioned from an Engineer to a Data Science Specialist at Databricks. Looking forward to seeing you there on Thursday Jan. 23rd at 5:45pm at Platform Calgary! Registration link in the comments! #CareerTransition #DataScience #AI #Databricks #DataforGood