Today, a tool belt for all sorts of needs and problems can be fixed by an almost limitless range of apps you can download within an instant! With just a click of a button, we have access to resources on resources. Aside from games, messaging your friends, ordering food or catching a ride, plenty apps are being made to help improve safety and wellness in communities. Many of which have been developed by youth, who noticed a need in their own community.

In 2024, a group of students from northeast Denver called “Game Changers” built an app called “Power of One”. It’s a safety app that serves as a 24/7 response vendor for youth requesting help, like a violence interrupter. If there is an imminent threat of violence, the call is immediately routed to 911. A mobile resource like this is incredibly effective in promoting the safety of a community, especially for students around campus universities. (https://www.cpr.org/2024/09/20/power-of-one-app-cu-boulder-game-changers-violence-prevention/)

That’s not the only app that has been successful! In 2021, Jack Helmer, a Florida Gulf Coast University interdisciplinary entrepreneurship student, developed a major mental health app called “UByou”. This mobile resource is a university-specific app for college students an counselors to help track the student’s wellness progress as they meet with counselors. A resource such as this helps student save both their money and time when it comes to seeking counseling resources. (https://fgcu360.com/2021/09/14/fgcu-signs-on-to-entrepreneurship-majors-mental-health-app/)

Helmer and the Game Changers are only a fraction of the other students out there who have developed an app for their communities. They’ve thought creatively and innovatively on how to use phone hacks for good, and so can you!

THINK! So, what about you? What problems do you notice in your communities? Can you think of your own app that you think could help solve the problem?