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Youngsters make mobile apps to support social causes
In an era when technology is developing rapidly, young people are not only loyal users of various gadgets and programs, some have even developed their skills to contribute as creators
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span>In an era when technology is developing rapidly, young people are not only loyal users of various gadgets and programs, some have even developed their skills to contribute as creators.
Numerous high school and university students have been creating mobile applications to support causes or solve problems that attract their interest, ranging from apps that help them study to others that improve waste management or disseminate information about health..
Among the latest creators was Caitlyn Audrey Prabowo, 16, a student of National Jakarta High School, and a friend who studies in the United Kingdom, Gabrielle Audria Buntoro.
They recently launched an app named Peduli (Caring) on Play Store that contains health tips that would come in handy during emergency situations.
The app also provides explanations of some mental problems to help people better understand conditions like anxiety and eating disorders. At the end of every explanation, the app suggests users seek professional help from doctors and psychiatrists.
“The targets are those from low education and economic backgrounds,” Caitlyn told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
“One day, someone [in my circle] died from cardiac arrest because it occurred without symptoms and people around him had no clue how to make his heart beat again in such an emergency situation. I want to help people like them.”
As soon as the app is opened, the user is greeted with a question: “Hello! How are you feeling today?” They can answer it by choosing one of three emojis: a smiley face, a sad face and a bandaged face.
If the user chooses the smiley face, the app will say, “You’re all okay.”
If the sad face is chosen, the app will show three kinds of mental conditions, namely anxiety disorder, mood disorder and eating disorder. Each of them is broken down into more specific types of disorders along with the choices of treatment.
Should the user choose the last emoji, the app would show six choices: emergency, wound and bruise, sprain, burn wound, choking and emergency hotline.
The choking part, for example, explains three steps. First, give a strong pat or stroke on the person’s upper back. Second, conduct abdominal thrusts, which is to hug the person from behind, make a fist with the other hand, place it on the person’s abdomen and then make quick upward thrusts.
“I’ve met challenges in gathering data and ensuring that they are all accurate. I should be able to describe them in terms and sentences that are easy to understand,” the twelfth-grader said.
“In the future, I want to add more information about diseases like tuberculosis, dengue fever and sexually transmitted diseases. I’ll be working with companies and organizations to help me distribute this app so that more people will download it.”
The Peduli app was established by developer Keuni, which recently also launched an app to help high school students organize their ideas and thoughts and to plan for university admission.
“I actually took a coding class and learned to develop mobile apps at school, but I have yet to reach the advanced level, so I still need help to develop this app,” Caitlyn said.
Earlier this month, some students from the School of Computer Science at the Veteran National University of Jakarta introduced an app called Socio Green. The app aims at engaging people in the efforts to reduce air pollution in the capital.
Together, Eka Dewi Sisri, Uus Rusdiana and M. Suyudi Alrajak, developed the app that would allow users to monitor air quality in their residential areas.
To engage users in helping to mitigate climate change, the app offers a feature for users to choose between the options of planting trees and using public transportation. Users will gain 200 points for one tree planted and 150 points per public transportation trip.
“Once the app is completely established, the points could be redeemed by merchant partners to buy, for instance, seeds from an agriculture shop,” Eka said recently.
In other regions outside the capital, many students have also developed and launched apps that support a variety of causes.
Students from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta introduced an app called OkeSayur in March this year. OkeSayur is an online grocery-shopping platform that cooperates with vendors in traditional markets in the province.
The brains behind the app are Fadlan Hawali, Alvin Novandi, Silivia and Muhammad Fuad Husein from the university’s engineering school. Also involved are Donatus Yoga from UGM’s vocational program and Losyiana Luh Jingga from the social science and politics school.
“Through OkeSayur, we aim to ease people in shopping for vegetables and their other kitchen needs,” OkeSayur cofounder Nindi Kusuma Ningrum said as quoted by kompas.com.
