The L3 Innovation Challenge is a design challenge bootcamp hosted by Youth Cities to immerse middle- and high-school students in innovation, design thinking, entrepreneurial problem-solving, and prototyping. It’s like a 24-hour hackathon, but it’s spread out over seven weeks, during which students play the role of Boston Children’s Hospital’s Innovation Team to address a specified challenge. It has mandatory meetings every Wednesday from 5PM to 8PM from October 2 – November 13 at LabCentral in Cambridge. Pizza is provided. The cost is $570, and need-based scholarships are available. Apply by September 25.

Separately, you can also sign up for notice of Youth Cities’ monthly mini-hacks, which are two-hour white-board brainstorming sessions facilitated by local entrepreneurs and open to middle- or high-school teens, college students, entrepreneurs, educators, public officials, and other working professionals. They’re held at the Cambridge Innovation Center on the second Thursday of each month (except July-August) at 4:30-6:30PM,  the same time that the CIC hosts Venture Cafe.