Why Do We Need a Mobile App for Suicide Prevention? Code for a Cause: Success Story #1
Last spring, at the very beginning of our “Code for a Cause 2” campaign, we invited the public to submit their non-profit project ideas which would have a positive impact on our local community. And, the response was astonishing.
After reviewing the ideas and analysing the technical complexity of each project, we realised that there were 10 projects that could be completed in 48 hours. We invited the public to vote for them, and they decided that we should work on six projects at the final event - Hackathon “Code for a Cause 2”.
Mobile App for Suicide Prevention - the Organisation “Srce” (“Heart”)
One of the ideas that immediately caught our attention was the development of a mobile application for a group of volunteers whose mission is to help those with suicidal tendencies.
Last year Suicide prevention organisation “Srce” (“Heart”) was contacted more than 5000 times by individuals who are thinking about taking their own lives. The volunteers realised that they could help more people if they didn’t limit themselves to traditional phone calls.
The organisation wanted to improve the existing communication channels between the volunteers and the persons in crisis.
To find out what this application means for the idea initiators and for one of the software developers who worked on developing this app, read the text below:
Aleksandra Filipović, the organisation “Heart”
“The idea about developing an application for suicide prevention and people in crisis is something we had been thinking about for a long time. The news about Hackathon gave us a chance to turn this idea into reality.
We noticed that people in crisis contact us through email and chat more frequently, especially young people. We are well aware that in the 21st century our lives are shaped mostly by technology shapes and that it can be used for good causes like improving people’s mental health. The idea was to enable easier access to the sources of useful information for the people in crisis and offer them a helping hand.
If it had not been for the young and dedicated boys and girls as well as Vega IT organisation itself, maybe our idea would still be just an idea. Naturally, people with certain mental issues should consult mental health professionals, when they feel the need to do that. Our application is not a substitute for mental health experts, but it helps the people in situations when they are not in a possibility to reach out to mental health professionals and offers information where and in what ways they can look for help.”
What Is the Technical Overview of This Application?
The mobile application "Srce" is developed using React Native technology, which is a cross-platform framework for mobile app development. What does this mean? It means that the same application can be installed on Android and iPhone devices.
Nikola Obradovic, Software Developer at Vega IT
Since users enter their personal data into the application, the data is not stored on some database server, but directly on the user's device. This means that no one can access any data except the user itself. Basically, everything we enter in the application is actually our secret.
We would like to thank Katarina Stepanovic and a digital agency Purezeen for donating this clean and modern design to the organisation.
Also, since this is a native mobile application, we can use offline and access cameras, calls, etc.
Users can enter data in the activity calendar retroactively, but once the data is entered, they cannot be changed. The application uses a camera to upload some special moments or upload other multimedia documents from the user’s device to his or her "scrapbook".
It was a pleasure and honour to work on this application during the "Code for a Cause" event, and also to work with a team of wonderful people from and outside of the company.”
Why It Is Important to Make Positive Changes in Our Community
Two years ago, our colleague Maja Bozic came up with an idea to start a new socially responsible campaign - Code for a Cause. This fitted perfectly with our company’s core vision - to give our contributions to the world and make it a better place for everyone.
It was amazing to see software developers, designers and idea initiators working towards the same goal for 48 hours. Big thanks to all who contributed to the development of this mobile app!
Team “Heart”: Vukasin, Nikola, Bojan, Aleksandra, Katarina, Timea and Slavica
Do you have an idea that will help our local community? Feel free to contact us at any time and share your thoughts with us. All ideas are confidential. :-)
Stay tuned for the updates about the upcoming “Code for a Cause 3” campaign. More details will be available at the end of May.
