IN N OVATI O N
Aussie App Launches With An I’m Not OK Button The idea for a safety app began in 2012 when Jill Meagher was fatally attacked on 22nd September of that year. Three friends, Ross Sbisa, Chris Jonker and Matt Ball, decided that people should feel safe in Australia. Sbisa recalls, “I am a father with three beautiful daughters and a beautiful wife. I thought to myself, ‘This has to stop’.” Sbisa and his wife then began researching and were alarmed at how little information was out there about keeping safe. He discussed the problem and explored more ideas with two friends, Matt Ball, a personal security expert, and Chris Jonker, a digital expert. The I’m Not OK button aims to be the safety valve for all Australians. It is less confronting than approaching someone face-to-face and it helps people to begin talking to each other about their personal needs.
Though initially meant to be an app to keep children safe, the idea around the Safie app began to grow. The app allows people to alert their designated contact if they are in trouble, sends images from both the front and back of the camera and pinpoints the precise location of where they are. When the partners called in digital expert, Chris Jonker, and began developing the app, they realised that it has a vast range of applications. The final application, the I’m Not OK button, came from the stress of lockdowns and a growing national awareness of the prevalence of mental health issues, especially in young adults. “At first we began thinking about all the situations our kids might find themselves. We came up with everyday events like going to and from school or school sport, going to the movies or the beach with friends, wandering away on family shopping trips,” Sbisa noted.
From left: Matt Ball, Ross Sbisa and Chris Jonker
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