sa tech startup aims to promote emotional intelligence among students

  • 09 Apr 2021
  • 151
sa tech startup aims to promote emotional intelligence among students
Johannesburg-based tech startup It'sOk has created a cutting-edge emotional intelligence app that is designed specifically for a school environment. The tech startup has combined the power of technology with a holistic approach to promoting emotional awareness and intelligence among young students in South Africa.

In an exclusive interview with Ventureburn, Cody Gordon, co-founder, and CEO of It'sOk provides insight into the aims of the tech startup.

"It'sOk aims? ?to? ?provide? ?students? ?with? ?a? ?platform to? ?create? ?habits? ?around? ?emotional? ?development? ?by? ?allowing? ?them? ?a? ?safe? ?place? ?to? ?express? how? ?they? ?are? ?feeling,? ?understand? ?why? ?they? ?are? ?feeling? ?that? ?emotion? ?and? ?learn? ?about? ?how? ?they? ?can? ?use? ?their? ?emotions? ?constructively.? ?Students? ?also? ?learn? ?that? ?there? ?are? ?certain? ?tools? ?that? ?they? ?can? ?use? ?to? ?help? ?them,? ?the? ?tools? ?available? ?to? ?students? ?are? ?mindful? ?techniques? ?such? ?as? ?guided? ?breathing? ?exercises? ?as? ?well? ?as? ?a? ?communication? ?platform? ?to? ?reach? ?out? ?to? ?social? ?workers? ?or? ?psychologists? ?if? ?they? ?need? ?to? ?speak? ?to? ?someone. "

ItsOk ??
Founded in 2019 by South African entrepreneur duo Cody Gordon and Michael Dukes, It'sOk was created to empower students and schools in the field of emotional awareness and intelligence.

Using state-of-the-art technology, the app is able to provide schools with insightful data analytics representative of their students utilising the app to indicate general emotion levels at the schools.

"Schools? ?receive? ?multiple? ?data? ?analytic? ?tools? ?that? allow? ?them? ?to? ?view? ?the? ?emotion? ?levels? ?as? ?deep? ?as? ?a? ?grade? ?and? ?class? ?level? ?and? ?understand? ?what? ?their? ?students? ?are? ?feeling? ?and? ?why.? ?This? ?allows? ?the? ?school? ?to? ?ensure? ?that? ?their? ?time? ?and? ?resources? ?are? ?spent? ?addressing? ?the? ?correct? ?emotional? ?issues? ?relevant? ?in? ?the? ?class? ?and? ?design? ?programmes? ?around? ?the? ?data? ?if? ?need? ?be? ?and? ?make? ?decisions? ?from? ?a? ?mental? ?health? ?perspective.? ?Schools? ?can? ?also? ?reach? ?out? ?and? ?speak? ?to? in-need? ?students," explains Gordon.

With a holistic approach in mind, It'sOk is able to provide parents with their own profile to gather a deeper understanding of how their children are feeling and to possibly facilitate a conversation and foster a stronger emotional connection.

Gordon explains that It'sOk aims to tackle a global issue at the root. ??

The? ?mental? ?health? ?crisis? ?faced? ?by? ?our? ?world.? ?Our? ?adults? ?of? ?this? ?world? ?who? ?are? ?experiencing? ?mental? ?health? ?issues? ?are? ?our? ?children? ?of? ?the? ?past? ?who? ?did? ?not? ?receive? any? ?education? ?on? ?how? ?they? ?can? ?use? ?their? ?emotions,? ?of? ?what? ?they? ?mean? ?, and? ?how? ?to? ?best? ?navigate? ?them.? ?Depression? ?rates? ?are? ?increasing? ?at? ?an? ?all-time? ?high? ?due? ?to? ?various? ?reasons? ?and? ?people? ?are? ?struggling.? ?It'sOk? ?provides? ?the? ?solution? ?of? ?the? ?starting? ?point? ?of? ?the? ?mental? ?health? ?crisis? ?to? ?our? ?world? ?because? ?the? ?first? ?step? ?to? ?becoming? ?emotionally? ?intelligent? ?is? ?understanding? ?that? ?the? ?world? ?of? ?emotional? ?intelligence? ?exists,? ?that? ?is? ?the? ?It'sOk? ?platform."

In addition, the platform aims to encourage schools to make decisions from a mental health perspective and make the emotional well-being of their students a priority.

The easy-to-use mobile app has been optimised to be available on Android, iOs, and Huawei devices. In addition, the app is accessible on both mobile and tablet devices.

According to information shared with Ventureburn, the Gauteng-based tech startup is fully self-funded.

How does it work
The It'sOk app provides three profiles to its users and includes a school? ?profile,? ?a? ?student? ?profile? ?, and? ?a? ?parent? ?profile.?

Currently, the app is only accessible to students and parents that are affiliated with a school that has adopted the app.

Students are prompted to login into the app with a unique code provided to them. The app provides a step-by-step guide on how to use its features that include selecting how users are feeling from a range of emotion options, learn about the spectrum of emotion users are feeling, and understand why they are feeling this way.?

?"Students? ?then? ?receive? ?psychologically? ?certified? ?emotional? ?education? ?to? ?help? ?them? ?with? ?the? ?specific emotion? ?they? ?are? ?feeling,? ?from? ?that? ?point? ?on? ?students? ?have? ?access? ?to? ?various? tools? ?to? ?assist? ?them.? ?Once? ?students? ?have? ?finished? ?their? ?emotional? ?journal,? ?self-awareness? ?tools? ?are? ?made? ?available? ?to? ?