Baloop – Youth Workers App

Mentor: Hadas Zemer Ben-Ari

Youth workers in informal education are often driven by a sense of mission and a desire to make a difference. However, since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War, many have reported a growing disparity between their motivation and the reality of working with emotionally unavailable youth. This disconnect can lead to frustration and burnout.

Baloop was created to provide dynamic guidance based on real-time field input in response to these new circumstances. The app offers personalized insights and activates gamified feedback and reward mechanisms grounded in goal-setting and progress tracking. Through these features, it strengthens youth workers’ sense of self-efficacy and enhances their motivation.

The development process was based on in-depth interviews with youth workers, regional coordinators, and education professionals. Following a qualitative data analysis, youth workers were invited to test interactive prototypes of the app. The feedback collected from these sessions was used iteratively to improve the product.

Baloop responds to the emotional and practical challenges youth workers face by making tools for reflection, planning, and recognition accessible and intuitive. The app is designed to help youth workers, particularly during times of social crisis, by reinforcing their role as meaningful agents of change when society needs them most.