New app connects young people with services in Yorkshire

New app connects young people with services in Yorkshire

Two occupational therapy students have been working with St Giles Trust’s Yorkshire Team to develop a mobile app for young people in Yorkshire to help them easily link up with services and support.

Emily Suffield and Katie Phipps from Leeds Beckett University have developed it after working alongside the Choices Team in Yorkshire which offers help to young people experiencing issues such as homelessness, leaving care, criminal justice system involvement and unemployment.

The app, named ‘Choices Connect’, is designed to connect and signpost young people to local services and organisations offering support and affordable activities within the West Yorkshire area, specifically Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield. The students
collaborated with staff and clients at St Giles to understand the areas of people’s lives that were important to them, but often found difficult to find help with. They young people identified a range of areas covering health, practical advice and support, education training and employment, relationships and getting active.

After comprehensive and detailed research, Emily and Katie created the app and tested it with clients and colleagues. It is hoped that the app will be ready to publish to android and apple stores in the near future. In the meantime, you can follow its progress on Twitter @ChoicesConnect

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