Local help, easily found

by Former Member

Monday 25th November 2013

YouthNet launches new app for young people

A new iphone app that makes it easy for young people to find their local support services has been launched today by online charity, YouthNet.

Called StepFinder, the app helps young people pin-point the nearest support service to them and takes the stress out of visiting them with tips and advice from others that have used the same services before. They can also leave their own feedback for others.

Users can find the nearest services for help with anything from contraception, homelessness and bereavement to mental health, legal rights and disability support. And, by flipping to camera mode, they can use augmented reality (AR) to see exactly how to get there.

The app has been developed by YouthNet in response to a growing demand for access to help and support via mobile. YouthNet CEO, Emma Thomas said: “We know from our most recent mobile research that 65% of young people use their phone if they want to know something urgently and we’ve seen visits from mobiles to our service, thesite.org, almost double in the last year.”

“We believe the role now for digital services is to complement what already exists offline. In terms of local services, not knowing where to go or what to expect when they get there are two of the biggest barriers that can stop young people getting the support they need. StepFinder helps them to overcome these factors by consulting their constant companion- their mobile.”

StepFinder features:

• Find and browse the nearest service via postcode or GPS, from a list of over 2000
  support organisations and find contact details & info for each.
• Read others’ tips about the services– to help prepare for and cope with the appointment.
• Filter via service types:  Abuse, Bereavement, Care, Career & Study, Childcare, Disability Support, Domestic Violence, Drugs & Alcohol, General Health, Housing, Legal Rights, Mental Health, Money, Relationships, Sexuality, Self Harm and Sexual health.
• Street-view– flip to camera mode and see all the services nearby
• Get directions – StepFinder integrates with Apple maps to give a step by step
  route
• User can submit their own tips and comments for others
• Share services with others
• Save location searches offline, locations can still be found if there’s a loss
  of connectivity

The app is available to download from the App store now.