LA Against Cancer: Day of Play is a free, public hackathon, game jam, and community festival in Los Angeles that uses play, creativity, and storytelling to explore how cancer is shaped by policy, systems, and access to care.
The event brings together designers, developers, students, organizers, caregivers, survivors, and community members to build and share interactive projects that make complex cancer systems easier to understand — and easier to change.
This is not a pitch competition. This is a learning space, a public showcase, and a community gathering.
LA Against Cancer: Day of Play is presented by the KiraKira Institute, the American Cancer Society (ACS) at the University of Southern California (USC), and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Additional programming partners include the USC Center for the Political Future and the SoLa Foundation, whose collaboration helps ground the event in local leadership, policy dialogue, and community space.
This event reflects KiraKira’s belief that:
imagination is a form of power
learning happens through play and conversation
policy becomes more humane when people can see and feel its impacts
community care is essential to systems change
Day of Play sits at the intersection of play work, light work, and bridge work — creating space for learning, hope, and honest engagement with complex systems.
Impact & Outcomes
LA Against Cancer: Day of Play is designed to create meaningful, measurable impact at the intersection of play, policy, and community. Through the hackathon, game jam, and public festival, the event advances cancer policy literacy, strengthens local partnerships, and builds pathways for youth leadership in cancer justice.
at a glance
150+ participants engaged across the hackathon, game jam, and public-facing festival
40+ policy-focused games and prototypes developed, exploring cancer prevention, access to care, and systems change
10+ clinics, organizations, and community partners activated through programming, outreach, and collaboration
Public-facing impact report released, documenting insights, projects, and community learnings
Youth pipeline into cancer justice and advocacy leadership, connecting participants to ongoing civic and policy engagement opportunities
Increased cancer policy literacy and advocacy readiness, particularly among students and first-time civic participants
what this impact means
Day of Play goes beyond a single event. It creates space for people to:
understand how policy and systems shape cancer outcomes
engage with cancer justice in accessible, non-intimidating ways
build relationships across sectors, disciplines, and lived experience
imagine and prototype solutions rooted in care, dignity, and equity