In August 2020, I had the privilege of working within a multidisciplinary team, alongside Kids Helpline, to create a project called Regrowth. My co-designers included Sarah Moncrieff, Chloe Chapman, Samantha Pearson, Anushka Shah and Elie Michel.
We’ve all felt helpless or lost during our teenage years. Especially during the transition period from school to life. Now just imagine what teenagers in rural areas might experience when their opportunities are limited due to the lack of universities, courses and job opportunities present in their community.
Based on this concept, our group adopted a mission to make this transition easier, and provide extra support during these mentally challenging times.
Executing this mission involved an online collaborative process incorporating the main stages in the design process - Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. The process was completed within an intense three day period. To enable efficient online communication between the team members, a visual collaboration software called Miro was used.
Our solution consisted of a virtual noticeboard named “Regrowth.” Regrowth is designed to assist and guide teenagers who are living in rural areas. This platform allows students to connect to job opportunities, workshops and training within their local area. Thus, allowing them easy ways to gain experience and skill sets for their future life after school.
Regrowth is a muiltiplatform solution providing a digital and non-digital method to access the resource. Our digital platform provides a "Padlet" style virtual noticeboard where partnered organisations and local business can advertise their opportunities available to local students.
To ensure accessibility to all students, our second platform allows teenagers to access our noticeboard via a printable PDF poster. Providing this PDF printable poster, allows teachers and schools to get involved. It enables an opportunity to provide support and guidance with the help of Regrowth's connections with local organisations.The PDF is updated weekly to reflect new opportunities within the local and outer communities.
Our group believes Regrowth will positively impact teenagers and further generations, as it directly impacts their future as well as their mental health. Hence, having an effect on their outlook on life.
