Helping youth experiencing hardships
- Healthcare
- Tourism
- 6 months
- San Diego, California
- Art Director
- Product Designer
- Illustrator
- Motion Designer
- Frontend Engineer
- Backend Engineer
- iOS Engineer
- Android Engineer
- Software Tester
- Project Manager
Just Be U, or short JBU, is an innovative program introduced by Urban Street Angels that provides housing, support services, advanced technology, integrative medicine, and holistic health care for transitional-age youth experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
Empowering transitional-age youth
The JBU app is a unique and interactive platform that aims to assist young people enrolled in the program to overcome their hardships and achieve their goals. The app serves as a learning hub with daily tasks that are specifically designed to empower these individuals to create routines, take responsibility for their actions, track their overall health, and achieve their goals in collaboration with their mentors. These goals may include finding a job, securing housing, participating in the community, and other similar objectives.
Maximizing learning and emotional well-being
Aside from the routine tasks, the JBU app also features time-sensitive assignments that have a designated time limit for completion. Before and after these tasks, the users are prompted to answer the Quick Six survey, a succinct series of six questions that monitor their emotional state and perception of the task. Furthermore, the app allows users to assess their knowledge retention by taking quizzes after finishing certain tasks.
“The JBU app's design is tailored to the needs of young people with limited attention spans, using bold colors, modern typography, and fun characters to make it interactive and engaging. This approach makes it an effective tool for helping these individuals overcome challenges and achieve their goals.”
Enhancing communication and promptness with interactive alerts
In addition to the daily tasks and time-sensitive activities, the app also features interactive alerts that can be sent to one or more mentees via the admin dashboard. These quick real-time updates ensure that users receive important information promptly. They could include information about time-sensitive events, invites to all-hands-on-deck meetings, or other critical happenings, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and that no critical information is missed.
From data to action: equipping mentors with valuable insights to support troubled youth
The JBU app compiles all the data obtained from its users and provides it to mentors via their personal records on the admin dashboard. These records serve as a means for mentors to identify any changes to the behavior patterns, health, or routines of their mentees and respond accordingly.
Additionally, wearables are issued to the mentees to track their biometrics, including their sleep duration, heart rate, and other comparable metrics, all of which are easily accessible to their respective mentors.