SPRINGFIELD – Connected Lane County, in partnership with Lane Transit District (LTD), hosted its annual codeORcreate competition from Dec. 12 to 14, bringing together high school students from across Lane County for a three-day innovation challenge focused on improving youth access to public transportation.
Participants worked in teams along either a coding or creative marketing track. Industry mentors supported teams as they spent 48 hours developing solutions that make transit more accessible, youth-friendly, and easier to navigate. This year’s challenges centered on youth safety and connecting riders to art and cultural activities throughout the community.
The winning coding team, Team Bagels with Suits, took first place for Challenge #1: Connect to Art and Culture. The team created a well-designed, interactive game that guides players around the University of Oregon using public transportation, encouraging exploration of local art and cultural events while learning how to ride the bus to get there.
The winning creative team, and overall competition winner, Team THIS, earned top honors for Challenge #2: Youth Safety on Transit. Their project featured a comprehensive awareness campaign highlighting existing safety features on LTD buses, paired with a proposed QR code-based reporting tool that would allow riders to quickly report unsafe behavior directly to drivers or dispatch. The campaign also included on-bus advertising concepts, an infographic, and two social media videos.
Team THIS is made up of four high school students from South Eugene High School, Churchill High School, and A3, including a Ukrainian foreign exchange student. Judges noted the team’s intense collaboration, clear communication, and thoughtful approach to designing a campaign with real-world application.
The competition concluded with a public showcase at Spark at Booth-Kelly, where teams presented their projects to judges and community members. codeORcreate is part of Connected Lane County’s ongoing work to provide young people with hands-on learning experiences, mentorship, and pathways to future education and careers.
