Mobile Outreach for At-Risk Youth

Mobile Outreach for At-Risk Youth

Challenge Team: 
Non Profit Organization: 
DIAL/SELF
Non Profit Website: 
http://dialself.org
Challenge Description: 

DIAL/SELF is a community-based non-profit agency that has been serving the youth and communities of Western MA since 1977. We provide a wide array of services that foster youth empowerment and community service. Over the course of the last three decades, more than 35,000 area youth have been served by the agency in Franklin and Hampshire Counties and the North Quabbin Region. Programs include: Youth Services  (TeenLine, Safe Place, Step Program. TeenHousing) and  Community Service Partnerships (ACT Volunteer Center, RISE AmeriCorps Program,Youth Services Roundtable).

  • 546 youth served by DIAL/SELF(Crisis / Education / Employment/Housing)
  • 5-20  new clients per month
  • 1-2/week  frequency of  crisis circumstances for new clients
  • 1,600 phone contacts per year
  • 1,500 street outreach contacts per year
  • 200 youth referred to Crisis Services per year
  • 204 youth increase health due to food, clothing, hygiene supplies, & resource   information

We have two needs.  The first is to convert our flat HTML website, www.dialself.org, to a CMS with a responsive theme more accessible to mobile devices. It is currently maintained with Dreamweaver / Contribute, built on a 2008 theme.

As a second step (or concurrent), we would also like a mobile app for pushing updates to clients, particularly at our drop-in sites, where we are doing street outreach and other resources.   This information can include event updates and opportunity deadlines, housing availability changes, and social posts from Twitter and Facebook:

  • www.facebook.com/dialself
  • twitter.com/#!/dialself
Slide Deck URL: 
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GShmId7RI1V77EqHDs2Dzk4RS5991Xyb3njEX…
Solution Benefit(s): 

Support youth at risk by providing services at the point of need, where clients are dealing with rapidly changing situations related to:

  • TeenLine
  • Safe Place
  • Teen Housing
  • Community Partners Step Program (Education, Employment, Civic Opportunities)
Target Audience: 
Clients
Target Audience Needs: 

Clients will either have mobile devices and be internet savvy, or be using cellular phones requiring text menu access to service updates.

Data Files: 
Data Needed: 

List of services to associate with mobile application for clients. * Mobile Services * Text-Menu Services Access to website files / db to create development version. Strategic plan to indicate growth targets served by project

Data Files: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_oy95vE6_aMrfViikMlxmNH7H4RIYBtHCr_CGAWTAao/edit#heading=h.jpzwcmo4ahy8

Product Owner: 
Phil Ringwood, Executive Director
Product Owner Email Address: 
Product Owner Phone: 
413-774-7054 ext 115
Approved: 
Yes
Year: 
2015
Challenge Image: 

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