R;pple – Suicide prevention app, spread the word!
The following post talks about Suicide, it might not be for everyone. However, this is about something that could really help – its aim is to give hope. ?
Alice Hendy – Ripple Suicide Prevention set up an app called R;pple after personal tragedy struck her own family. It’s an app aimed at suicide prevention after she became aware that many research the subject in search engines before attempting to take their own life. The app works by picking up if someone searches for something that is suicide-related (it picks up any of 30,000 words or phrases) and instead of the search engine results a page comes up listing ways the individual can get help, starting with the phrase you deserve to feel hope. The page can be adapted and other options added if the organisation has its own support structure.
Alice is a cyber security expert and the app has been set up with this in mind. It isn’t possible to see the details of someone who typed the original words into the search engine, and whilst they don’t collect individual data, they have an overall picture. To date, they have had over 300,000 downloads, and 24 people have been in touch with R;pple directly to say it saved their lives.
Any organisation can apply it to the computers within their organisation. Businesses can get a (small priced) subscription based on the number of employees, whilst for organisations like universities, it is free. It would be great if some of the social media sites and search engines backed it, in the meantime, we can all be involved and spread the word.
Thank you Includability – The Home of Inclusive Employers for giving so many the opportunity to hear Alice talk.
Click the link below for the full article ??