Raising Mental Health Awareness, Thursina IIBS Students Secure 1st Runner-Up at UI Innovation War with Innovative App
After thriving at the LPDP Business Competition, two Thursina International Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) students head to 2023 UI Innovation War organized by the student body (BEM) of University of Indonesia. Competing on October 5-6, Nayla Herman Ramadhani and Olivia Mecca Asnawi Putri had once again proven their brilliance, securing the first runner up position on this prestigious competition.
In this event, Nayla and Olivia showcased their innovative mobile application, Geisgo, which provides consultation services with psychologists. They initially competed against over 800 participants from high schools all-over the country in the online preliminary round. “Alhamdulillah, we managed to pass and were invited to UI for the in-person event. In total, only 6 groups were invited from all the participants,” explained Nayla.
In their presentation, they highlighted that one-third of Indonesia's youth are facing mental health problems. This alarming statistic motivated two 12th graders to create an application that offers consultation services with mental health professionals, accessible anytime via cell phones and other devices. The app aims to connect users with certified psychologists and psychiatrists for counseling services.
“One-third of youths, that’s not a small number. Apart from helping others, this is also a fairly large market opportunity,” noted Nayla.
Aside from the counseling service, this prototyped app also has a variety of other features including mental health resources that provide motivation and information, a journaling feature equipped with a password called Geisgo Notes, and the Geisgo Shop, which sells various therapy tools recommended by counselors such as painting supplies. “The services that we offer are quite affordable, a single counseling session is priced at 50-60 thousands,” added Olivia.
Through their innovation, Nayla and Olivia are hoping to help reduce the increasing number of suicides that have been frequently reported in the news. Their brilliant idea had previously won the gold medal at the 2023 Youth Business Competition (IYBC). The two are also scheduled to fly to Singapore under LPDP to take part in a series of activities at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in February 2024 thanks to their innovation.