Hawthorn Football Club’s Major Community parter, beyondblue is one of five charities participating in Vodafone Foundation’s App Aid and needs your support to help develop an app that could change the world for the better.
With the help of Melbourne app developers Two Bulls, beyondblue will develop the Check-in App: How to ask, how to listen, how to help, an app for young people to check-in on friends and to start conversations.
beyondblue needs your support to win the challenge and take out the bonus $10,000 by having the most number of supporters.
You can assist beyondblue by donating $1 at www.pozible.com/thecheckin by 5pm on Thursday 5 December and by sharing the link with your friends and family.
beyondblue thanks all their supporters for helping to reach the goal of raising $10,000 and achieving an additional $10,000 in matched funding from the Vodafone Foundation. It is exciting that the app will become a reality in 2014.
Thanks also to all the Hawthorn supporters who always support beyondblue’s work through the beyondblue Cup each year and other events.
All additional funds raised will be used to improve the features of the app and increase the functionality, including the bonus $10,000 prize from Vodafone Foundation if beyondblue wins.
The idea for App Aid sparked from a current project at beyondblue, called Having the Conversation.
This project launched the exciting prospect that the App would be framed around giving young people the skills to have conversations with their friends about mental health.
One in four young people aged 16-24 experience depression or anxiety, but only a quarter will talk to a health professional. It is known that young people are more likely to confide in their friends when they’re having a hard time.
Checking-in about how a friend is feeling can make a real difference, but knowing the right thing to say or do can be tough.
The app guides young people in how to ask, how to listen, and how to help.
The app will assist with:
- developing a tailored, step-by-step ‘check-in’ plan
- reviewing how the conversation went, and give ideas for what to do next, especially if things got tricky
- setting reminders to follow up
- providing links to professional support
- providing words of wisdom from people who’ve done it before
- giving ideas for how to look after yourself when supporting a friend.
Nothing replaces professional support, but checking-in on a friend you are concerned about is a really important first step – and this is where the check-in app will make the difference.
