- Alexandra Whitwam - Senior Manager Campaigns and Digital Storytelling, Telstra Foundation
At first glance, yourtown’s prize home draw may seem like a luxury raffle, but there’s so much more behind those $15 tickets. The proceeds from these draws fund yourtown’s crucial work supporting marginalised young Australians and their families. This includes services like Kids Helpline, a 24/7 counselling service available to young people aged 5 to 25.
In addition to the Kids Helpline, yourtown runs other impactful services, including Parentline, the online peer support network MyCircle, and the Qwibbl app—an innovative digital tool designed to support young Australians’ mental health. (NOTE the Qwibbl app will be re-launched in early 2025 so stay tuned for updates.)
What is Qwibbl?
Qwibbl began as a partnership between yourtown and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to centralise mental health resources for young people. Tony FitzGerald, yourtown’s Virtual Services Manager, explains, “Young people often turn to Google for help, but that can lead to confusing or harmful advice. We wanted to create a reliable toolkit where they could find trusted resources that could assist them to deal with their challenges in a meaningful way.”
The app focuses on early intervention for mental health challenges and can be used alongside a Kids Helpline counsellor. It offers personalised content such as videos, podcasts, quizzes, and tips to help young people access 24/7 support tailored to their needs. It also allows them to identify their challenges (or Qwibbl’s) and track their progress as they implement self-help strategies in the app.
An update driven by young people
As Qwibbl undergoes a significant update, yourtown is ensuring young people are at the heart of the redevelopment process. Stoyan Stoyanov, yourtown’s lead data analyst, highlights the importance of their involvement: “Young people are driving much of the change. Their input is invaluable, from selecting resources to choosing the app’s new name.”
The renaming of the app, initially called Niggle, came directly from feedback from young users. They felt the name no longer resonated with the purpose of the tool. After receiving around 60 new name suggestions, the co-design team settled on “Qwibbl,” a playful yet meaningful reflection of working through small mental health challenges, or ‘Qwibbl’s.’
Qwibbl’s next chapter
The update’s focus has been on improving functionality and content while maintaining the core purpose of helping young people track their well-being and connect with others.
“The core of the app remains the same,” FitzGerald explains. “Young people can identify what’s bothering them, like anxiety or stress, and the app will guide them through resources that address those feelings. Over time, they can track their progress and see how their ‘qwibbl’s’ have become smaller.”
Up to this point, yourtown has been prioritising the selection of a vendor for redevelopment, initiating the development process, and renaming the app. Moving forward, the focus will shift to deepening engagement with young people.
“This isn’t a one-time project,” says Stoyanov. “We’ll keep involving young people every step of the way. They’ll help us test the app, provide feedback, and help make sure it’s exactly what they need.”
FitzGerald echoes this sentiment, adding, “We could build something we think is perfect, but if young people aren’t involved, it won’t resonate with them.”
As Qwibbl moves into its next phase, it remains a project designed by young people, for young people. With its focus on mental health and its users’ continued involvement, yourtown wants Qwibbl to make a lasting, positive impact on young lives across Australia.
About Telstra Foundation and yourtown
The partnership between yourtown and the Telstra Foundation focuses on empowering young people through digital technology. Supported by the Telstra Foundation yourtown is developing initiatives to enhance digital skills and provide mental health support for young people. This collaboration aims to create opportunities for young Australians to thrive in a digital world, regardless of their background or circumstances.
