We believe
All young people deserve to feel safe knowing that there are people who care about them.
Preventive support is at the core of our work and we empower young people to make safer choices by providing them access to timely, accessible and trusted support.
Together, through technology, we can help keep our young people safe.
Meet YourCrew
The YourCrew app was the result of a simple question; why don’t young people ask for help and what would encourage young people to ask for help? To get to the answers, first we needed to ask the right questions – and the findings were pretty raw:
- Kids in emotional distress were not asking for help
- The barriers to help-seeking were typically stigma, confidentiality, trust and negative previous experience
- Kids would seek some help from a known and trusted (and non-judgemental) person
- The idea of seeking help is a result of internal feelings of stress, and the external provision of support.
So we decided to remove the barriers to help as simply as possible.
With an app. A Crew. And an oath.
An App
Simple, accessible, and always ‘there’.
A Crew
Easy access to known, chosen and trusted people (Aunts, Uncles, family, friends, peers etc.)
An Oath
A simple promise every Crew member must take.
The Oath
No problem is too big or too small
You will get help from me
You will not get in trouble from me
Our conversation is confidential (unless I think you are at risk, could be a risk to others, or the problem is too big for us to handle)
“The oath is really good to have and makes whoever reads it feel supported and they will have more trust in the app – makes a massive difference.”
– Sarah, aged 16.
Preventing small issues from becoming big ones
Although serious in intent, the app provides a novel (and sometimes fun) way to increase communication with known and trusted people, and open the door to kids seeking help. Its objectives are simple:
- To increase the rate of help-seeking.
- To decrease levels of anxiety, stress, hopelessness, loneliness and depression.
- To reduce the risk factors which may lead to self-harm, both with or without intent of death.
How it works
Video: how to use YourCrew
