It became clear to us that Valga-Valka needed a push. We wanted to create a space where young people from both sides of the border could meet, work together, and actually get to know each other. And we thought that a hackathon would be the best option for this. Why? Because youth have to work intensively for almost 48h in mixed teams with members from both sides of the border and they have to generate ideas that would improve life in the twin city. It would be a win-win situation for everyone: young people get to collaborate with youth from their neighboring country, have a say in the development of the twin city, and the twin city would get some new, cool ideas from the young people to start implementing.
Ance Empele (Valka Municipality): "In my opinion, joint events are very much needed - they highlight our uniqueness and differences at the same time. Together we can achieve something bigger, better, and more useful for a wider circle of citizens and guests. These kinds of events and activities also strengthen our ability to cooperate, communicate, and gain invaluable experience."
HOW DID EVERYTHING START? THROWBACK TO THE HACK THE BORDER OPENING EVENT!
To kick off some real cross-border vibes, we launched Hack the Border with an opening event at the Valka Culture House in early October, where nearly 200 young people from Estonia and Latvia showed up! Most came from Valga County Vocational Training Centre and Valka Janis Cimze Gymnasium, but students from many other schools in Valga/Valka joined us as well. Mixed Estonian-Latvian teams were formed on the spot and thrown straight into mapping the biggest challenges in Valga-Valka. One topic clearly stood out: entertainment and events. Many young people said that the twin city lacked cool events, festivals, concerts, and sports competitions that would bring the Estonian and Latvian youth together. And maybe most importantly, there was a clear message: young people are missing a safe, modern place to hang out.
But the best part of the event was what happened between the young people in attendance. For many, it was the first time connecting with peers from across the border - and it was great to see how the teamwork started flowing so quickly. One unforgettable moment: a shy Latvian girl who was scared of public speaking, shaking like a leaf, she pulled her whole team on stage and delivered her first-ever pitch… and absolutely nailed it. Later, she said that this experience gave her enough confidence to apply for the hackathon, something she never thought she could do. And there were more small wins like this. We discovered a Latvian student who was born to be on stage. Moments like that might seem small, but for us they mean a lot.
Throughout the event, young people got to practice their language skills, break out of their comfort zones, and realise that talking to new people isn’t as scary as it seems. Even several adults got inspired and wanted to join as mentors. All in all, the opening event didn’t just start a project - it sparked connections, courage, and and set the tone for what’s coming next.
📍NEXT STOP: HACKATHON
Fast forward to a few weeks later, it was time for the Hack the Border hackathon. At the end of October, 40 young people from Estonia and Latvia, together with mentors, gathered at Kääriku Sports Centre to start hacking solutions for Valga-Valka challenges. The hackathon kicked off on Thursday evening with a round of inspirational talks. Rain Aunapu, CEO of Raketibaas-12 shared stories about the events he has organised with his team, such as an ice cinema, a lake restaurant, neon raves, and other creative pop-up events. His main message was simple: don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Regular events are often a bit boring and don’t attract people anymore- adding a twist can make all the difference. He also said that the bigger and clearer your idea becomes, the more supporters you will find along the way. With a strong team, you can go far! Girli Vasiljev, CEO of Lakk Ilustuudio, talked about how she became a true Valga patriot and how one dream slowly turned into a successful business. Her story showed that you don’t need to leave your hometown to do something meaningful, you can build cool things right where you are, if you believe in your idea and keep going.
Photo: Girli Vasiljev (LAKK Ilustuudio) sharing how she started her business.
When the inspiration talks had concluded, it was time to start hacking! By the end of the evening, we had 8 clear challenge ideas on the table, which turned into 7 teams. Every team was mixed- with both Estonian and Latvian members working together. Check out our teams and their cool ideas! ;)
⚡Border Race Club - Legal and safe race track between Valga and Valka for young car enthusiasts - safe environment for drag racing, drifting, and car-related events.
⚡Student Exchange - 1-day student exchange between Valga and Valka schools, where students would spend a day at a neighboring country’s school to explore new subjects, activities, and traditions that don’t exist in their own schools.
⚡OG - Joint music and arts festival “Together We Sound” that is planned to continue as an annual tradition.
⚡VV Events - Valga-Valka events platform and opening a Valga-Valka joint gaming lounge.
⚡Pulse United - a modern Valga-Valka fitness and sports centre.
⚡VK-VG - Valga-Valka joint youth centre, where youth can play video and board games and organise different events like movie and karaoke nights.
⚡Party People - transforming an old factory into a multifunctional event space - a place for parties, concerts, movie nights, and celebrations that bring the twin cities together!
The hackathon was a hugely valuable experience for the youth. First of all, real friendships and cooperation started to grow between Estonian and Latvian participants. During the two intense days, teams tested and validated their ideas in real life. They created surveys, shared them on social media and with their friends, collected feedback, and did real market research. Many teams got hundreds of responses, which showed them that their ideas actually make sense and are worth developing further.
But why was this hackathon so valuable for the youth? They got to work side‑by‑side with our cool mentors: entrepreneurs, local government folks, school staff, and other experts from Valga‑Valka and beyond. They helped the teams, asked smart questions, and shared useful contacts. These connections are incredibly important- young people don’t usually just walk up to a local entrepreneur on the street and ask for advice, but here it happened naturally.
A big thank you to all the mentors who supported the youth on this journey: Mayri, Tommy, Girli, Triin, Ester, Kaydi, Ursula, Ance, Arro, Rain, Raivis, and Toms. And a huge thanks also to Juri, Mati, Dace, and Guntra, who do amazing work with young people in schools every day. 🥰
Another big win was the real-life experience. The young people quickly understood that a hackathon is not just “chilling”. In 48 hours, the jury expects real results. It was amazing to see how teams built websites, made videos and posters, ran surveys, and used feedback to improve their ideas. They also gained new technical skills: creating mockups, building simple websites, using AI tools to generate visuals, and structuring ideas clearly. Just as important, they gained confidence. Many teams went to school leaders to ask if their ideas could be tested in real life (and got positive answers!). Many had never done anything like this before. In school, you often learn theory, but here they learned by doing.
What became very clear during the hackathon? Valga-Valka has has some real communication gaps. Information doesn’t always move smoothly between the two sides of the border, and many young people simply don’t know what is happening next door. This was one of the strongest messages that came out of the hackathon. The good news is that young people really wanted to change this and actively looked for ways to make communication and information sharing better.
Kaydi Tomson (Pärnu County Business Incubator): "Hack the Border was an exciting international hackathon. Two nationalities living just 1 km apart, worked together to pitch and develop ideas. A very useful project for young people - they learned teamwork, self‑expression, improved their presentation skills and brainstormed side by side. Their ideas showed real potential, and it’s clear that young people can give valuable input to the city. Every city wants its youth to return and stay."
Girli Vasiljev (LAKK Studio): "The hackathon was a great kickstart for youth cooperation between the two countries. For years, there has been an ‘invisible wall’ between Valga and Valka, and hopefully, this event gave it its first serious hit. Hack the Border could become a true cornerstone for the future and a bridge that brings the two cities and their people closer together. Similar events should also be organised for other target groups in our region."
And now, in December, we’re excited to see the teams already making their first real steps- turning their ideas into action.Three teams: Student Exchange, Party People, and VV Events started organising their very first joint event- a Hack the Border Christmas event that took place on 18 December at Valga County Vocational Training Centre (VKOK). VV Events helped to promote the event on the Latvian side.
Some weeks before the event, Latvian students visited VKOK for the first time to explore the school and the spaces. Student Exchange team also practiced the recipes they planned to prepare for the event. Fun fact: for most of the Latvian participants, this was their very first visit to an Estonian school, and they were positively surprised, and said they would love to be more involved in what’s happening there!
The cooperation didn’t stop there. On 11 December, Estonian students visited the Latvian school’s Christmas market to sell their products. It was the first time Estonian students took part in the VJCG Christmas market - another small but meaningful step toward stronger cross‑border connections.
The Hack the Border Christmas Event on 18 December was very cool and had a diverse programme: the day started with a Christmas market, where also some Latvian teams came to trade. This was followed by a gingerbread and mocktail workshop, where teams could spend time together in a relaxed and fun way. After that, a communication workshop took place with Unda Ozolina (Valka Municipality) and Andero Ojamets (Valga Municipality), who spoke about the importance of Valga-Valka communication and future events where young people could also be involved. The day continued with a visit to the R-12 rocket base near Valga (a unique event space created by young enthusiasts), and the day ended with a disco.
We are really happy to see how strong the cooperation between Valga and Valka schools has become in just a few months. And this journey doesn’t end here. Next up are workshops and study trips to develop the ideas even further, leading to the final event in May 2026.
Good luck to all the amazing teams - keep pushing your ideas forward!
We can’t wait to see what the teams will show us in May 2026! 🚀
📸 Photos by Lisette Laanoja, Arvo Meeks
The project is co-funded by the Estonia–Latvia Programme.
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