This weekend our organization Proton participated at Unihack 2025 in Timișoara, Romania, competing with two teams: Proton ETF 1 and Proton ETF 2. I was part of Proton ETF 1, where we developed a prototype of a social platform for volunteers and project organizers - VoluntHere aimed at making collaboration, project discovery, and engagement easier and more transparent.
About the project
Our idea was to build a lightweight social network that connects volunteers with local organizations, enables project coordinators to publish opportunities, and provides a transparent system for tracking participation. The platform integrates standard web technologies with a blockchain component to ensure authenticity of volunteer records.
Technologies
We built the prototype using:
- Python Flask for the backend (REST routes, user handling, project management)
- Jinja2 with HTML/CSS/JS on the frontend
- SQLAlchemy with a simple SQLite database for fast iteration
- AJAX for real-time project updates
- Solana (testnet) for storing verifiable participation records on-chain
Authentication was handled via Auth0, and we implemented a minimal system that syncs Auth0 user profiles with our local database.
Implementation Summary
During the 48-hour hackathon, we managed to deliver a functional MVP that included:
- user login and protected routes
- creation and editing of volunteer projects
- a live project feed updated through AJAX
- basic user profiles
- tag filtration system
- a service that generates and submits Solana cerificates for completed activities
Even though time was limited, we achieved a working integration between the backend, the UI, and the blockchain component, allowing users to see verified participation data directly on their profile.
Final impressions
Unihack 2025 was an intense but inspiring experience. Working within a tight deadline pushed us to build quickly, solve issues on the spot, and collaborate efficiently as a team. Most importantly, we created a foundation for a community-oriented platform that we plan to continue developing within Proton.