Want to combat loneliness? – there’s an app for that.
Students at the University of Essex have partnered with the app Umii, a mobile and online service that promotes student connection.
A three-month pilot scheme gave 1,200 students the chance to tackle their own social isolation by meeting and ‘matching’ with other verified students from the university.
Following great success of the scheme in which more than 50% of the participants reported feeling less isolated, the app has been offered to the entire university cohort.
It has been described as an important instrument in making the university experience inviting and inclusive.
Umii allows users to create their own profiles, populated with information such as their course, interests and societies.
Rates of loneliness for university students are increasing across the country making apps like Umii a promising tool in the fight against social isolation, acting as a preventative measure to connect users and facilitate much-missed interaction.
Read more: https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19733742.university-essex-students-use-app-combat-loneliness/
