Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Hula Creative
November 18, 2020 - 4:30 PM
A Kelowna-based company has come up with an app that offers new ways for men to connect and focus on their mental health.
The app, which is called 'he,' will be launched Nov. 19 on International Men’s Day by He Changed It Enterprises and will focus on connecting men with a chat feature, mental health resources and content tools for navigating relationships, emotions, health and more.
The app was created by Candace Chisholm, Shannon Crabbe and Joel Day and has been in development for more than two and a half years.
“I was in the non-profit section and she was in the health sector. We had both come across numerous times men looking for resources and tools to help them navigate their health and wellness and we were struggling to find them all in one space,” Chisholm said, which led to the app’s development.
The chat section of he will be based on group topics, but men will be able to create their own groups and topics.
“What our design is for a man to come in with a lived experience in a certain area… and he can leave what he knows with someone who is looking for some mentorship on how to avoid those landmines themselves,” she said.
The creators want to address loneliness, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, and acknowledged that reaching out and getting help can be difficult for men because of stigma.
READ MORE: COVID-19 causing stress, depression and obsessive behaviour: Canadian survey
“It’s redefining our version of what man-up means, which is to help another man up,” she said.
Chisholm said the app isn’t better than counselling, but she wants it to create awareness about mental health and create a safe space for men.
The app will be available at Google Play and the Apple App Store. It will be free to use until the new year.
More information on he can be found online here.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2020