Be Safe, a free app created in 2014 to help youth in London Middlesex more effectively connect with local mental health and addiction resources, is now available in Waterloo Wellington.
Be Safe was originally developed by a dedicated team of youth, mindyourmind, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Provincial System Support Program, and other partners in the Systems Improvement through Service Collaboratives initiative in London, Ontario and surrounding areas.
Be Safe allows youth to make a safety plan, informs them about local mental health and addiction resources, and provides suggestions of appropriate community resources based on their level of need (identified through the use of a decision aid).
There is also a paper-based pocket guide version of Be Safe, which allows youth to keep a paper copy of their safety plan along with a list of Ontario-wide resources they can access 24/7.
In the new app, users can select from a drop-down menu to see mental health and addiction resources available at the provincial level or in a specific community.
A zine developed by the youth involved in creating Be Safe, which outlines the processes involved in creating the original app and making adaptations for the new version, is available for viewing at mindyourmind.ca/besafezine.
Be Safe is immediately available for free download to any Apple or Android mobile device from mindyourmind.ca/besafe.
