Catalysts for change - digitally !

Catalysts - catalyzing positive change by building relationships in a mentor program that is going digital. The program will present tools and learning applications that give youth and their mentors a path to increasing the self-esteem, skill levels and ability of youth to make good choices for their future.

The core problem is that youth are at risk of not completing their education or actively seeking employment, this problem is even greater for youth with immigrant backgrounds.

Some root causes of the problem are that youth lack a caring adult, or a formal or informal "mentor-like" relationship and they do not have access to tools and strategies, models and or platforms to give them access to improve their learning and development

Catalysts will develop and pilot e-mentoring and digital solutions that will that improve relationships and promote skill development for youth at risk. This pilot in 2017/2018 will be in collaboration with we will build on the extensive e-health research by partners at the Center for Shared Decision-Making and Collaboration Research (CSDM), Oslo University Hospital. 

Research shows that mentoring programs improve outcomes across behavioral, and academic achievement of youth. According to the OECD, digital technologies can be far more aggressively exploited for skill development. J-PAL, a group at MIT has also shown that adaptive software improves outcomes in certain skills.

Our primary target group are youth with immigrant and refugee background and youth from low socio-economic backgrounds between 15 - 30 who are motivated to increase own level of competence, knowledge, network and self-esteem; to equip themselves to complete their education and enter the workforce.

Our secondary target group are the mentors – adults from 30 and above who benefit by increasing their competence on mentoring, appreciative inquiry and digital solutions. The mentors will also build relationship with youth that will have a significant impact on their diversity competence and reduction of stereotyping.

Use the Rosenberg selv esteem scale. Measured before and after program. See link

http://fetzer.org/sites/default/files/images/stories/pdf/selfmeasures/Self_Measures_for_Self-Esteem_ROSENBERG_SELF-ESTEEM.pdf - Increase in self-esteem of youth

Use an age appropriate adapted hopeful future expectation scale. Measured before and after program. See link http://www.nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org/index.php/toolkit/item/246-hopeful-future-expectations.html - Increase in youth’s hopefulness or positive expectations about his or her future.

Comparison of grades before and after program. - Increase in academic achievement

Our solutions combines three components in a secure virtual environment: mentoring, peer-support, and a tailorable self-help toolbox. Also, our solution; 1) incorporates e-health, Appreciative Inquiry, and resiliency research into its content and functionality, 2) applies emerging technology and design approaches (e.g., positive computing, persuasive technology, gamification) that can boost user engagement and learning, 3) facilitates links to community, and 4) explores models whereby youth themselves can increase the scalability of Catalysts as a social entrepreneurship within the community.  Our partnership with Oslo University Hospital provides unique base from a research standpoint and easy adaptation on their existing platform for Catalysts. 

Catalysts stakeholders (at-risk youth, mentors, health care providers) will be provided access to the existing system to try out and gain insights into desired changes. After a 2-4 week tryout, we will organize interviews and workshops to get feedback and ideas for system adjustments and improvements. Semi-structured interview guides will be developed. Additionally, we will apply the methods such as Idea Generation, Design Scenarios, Story boards and Prototyping to additionally promote creativity, inspiration and group work and come to new and innovative ideas for supporting participants’ further communication needs and enhance their motivation and engagement when using the Catalysts system. 

We are currently analysing different deployment solutions. Currently, we feel our solution will be optimally deployed on a pay-per-subscriber basis and sold to municipalities and schools and potentially corporations. We see our solution to date as one where the participating youth receive services free. 

An app is developed by not yet tested or available online and will impact how the solution is deployed in the future. 

Catalysts digital solution is funded in part through the research grant provided to Oslo University hospital. This 3 year grant provides funding for 1 full-time position. Catalysts is also funded in part by Norwegian government social entrepreneur funding and Reach for Change (a foundation working with social entreprenuers). We are also seeking funding from Innovation Norway on the digitial solution.

We will begin selling our solution to municipalites and schools in 2018 and have secured our first corporate customer in June. Our aim is to be sustainable in 3-4 years and we will seek investors in 2018 once the first version of the digital solution is implemented. 

Technology factors of integration into existing systems and providing a scalable and relevant evidence based global solution. Partnering with technology providers to ensure cost efficient offering. Interfacing with public services to ensure solution meets needs and can be implemented. Growing the organization from social entrepreneur focus to focus on commercial, global scalable solution

https://www.catalysts.no

https://www.facebook.com/catalystsnorway/?fref=ts

I share your passion for social impact and have built a non-profit company with the aim of empowering youth and promoting diversity and inclusion. Catalysts is now about to cross into the digital world and to make the solution the most impactful, scalable and sustainable we need a community of global leaders and experts to help us ensure we get it right from the start!  

Our main partner is the Center for Shared Decision-Making and Collaboration Research (CSDM), Oslo University Hospital. Other partners include Reach for Change foundation, the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration(NAV), and the Norwegian Center for eHealth Research (participating in the research project).

We have not identified any competitors to date and see most as potential collaboration partners!