The creator of a bot that speaks to young people when they are feeling down is hoping that it will give those in need another avenue to get help.
Anna Tranter came up with the concept of using a QR code to link to an auto bot which will chat with youth in times of isolation or depression.
The bot, currently in a testing version, begins with messages such as: “First, I’d like to say that reaching out at this time is one of the hardest and bravest steps to take. Things can get tough, but there’s so much support available to help you get your life back. If it’s ok with you, can I ask how you’re feeling. 1 being tip top, 10 feeling pretty low.”
Users then select an option that suits their mood best which prompts the message: “Being silent isn’t being strong. We all need to deal with this in our own way so tell me what suits you best?”
“It just means that it’s distracting them from the thought of what’s put them there in the first place and helping them realise they can get help without having to feel embarrassed and even behind closed doors if they want to,” Anna says.
She says the idea was sparked after watching a documentary on Kevin Hines, a man who attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge when he was just 19-years-old and survived.
Anna says a comment he made that if just one person had stopped him as he was walking along the bridge crying and asked if he was ok, it probably would’ve stopped him from jumping.
“That’s really what this started as, something that youth, or anyone really, can go to if they need someone to talk to right then.”
The idea has now morphed from being a simple bot that can interact with you during a time of need, to becoming a hub for mental health resources.
“Often kids don’t even realise that it’s depression or anxiety that they are feeling, this could be something to link them in with what’s actually going on in their brains.”
Anna has first-hand experience supporting people with depression, anxiety and bi-polar disorder.
She heard of some of her children’s friends that would struggle at school and shut themselves in the toilets to escape. So, she thought a bot that could be accessed via a QR code, so that someone was available anytime, would be helpful.
Anna says it was a way of trying to get more help to people in a simple way and hopes to eventually see it rolled out widely through schools, clubs and workplaces.
The project has been three years in the making and she is now hoping to hand it over to the I Am Hope charity to develop it further. She says the bot would provide an avenue of help for young people who may feel embarrassed to reach out or seek help.
“It’s really a tool to open doors for people to find help and support.”
I Am Hope is the organisation leading Gumboot Friday. Its key purpose is to drive mental health advocacy and re-education and abolish the stigma surrounding mental health issues in New Zealand. It does this via a grass roots approach to be accessible and relatable to everybody in society.
Gumboot Friday
5 November 2021
The organisation provides free counselling to young New Zealanders (25 and under) in short timeframes, without humiliating diagnosis processes and lengthy wait times. 100 per cent of donations go to funding counselling sessions with the goal to reach $5 million to provide more than 37,000 counselling sessions annually.
Gumboot Friday recently launched its online service, with the onset of Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns resulting in increasing pressures on young people. Usage of this service has gone through the roof since its inception, demonstrating further need for young people to access counsellors and a listening ear in times of increased isolation and incertainty.
Register as a counsellor for I Am Hope here.
Organisation founder Mike King says Nelson is a special place to him.
“The thing that really stands out for me is the strong sense of community I get to experience whenever I am down there. If one person is going through a hard time, the whole community treats it as their problem and comes together as a team to do something about it.”
He says the same spirit has followed through to Gumboot Friday.”
