In a groundbreaking development, the much-anticipated new version of the Youth Engagement App (YEA) has launched during the 8th UN Global Road Safety Week, supporting the theme “Streets for Life: #MakeWalkingSafe and #MakeCyclingSafe”.
Funded by Google.org, this upgraded version introduces a vibrant, user-friendly interface designed to engage youth worldwide in road safety initiatives. YEA is an interactive platform that enables young individuals to identify and report road safety conditions in the vicinity of their schools with ease, contributing to tackling the biggest killer of their generation – road crashes. With its global scalability, YEA is expected to transform school safety in countries such as Vietnam, Chile, South Africa, and Peru.
Youth Sitting on the Decision-Making Table
Engaging youth in road safety initiatives is crucial as they bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to longstanding issues, fostering a culture of responsibility and awareness among their peers. By actively contributing to road safety programs, young people can help local authorities to prioritize interventions and tailor them to the community needs, reducing fatalities and severe injuries and ensuring safer roads for everyone.
A Leap Forward in Technology and User Experience
The new version of YEA brings a host of exciting enhancements designed to elevate user experience and functionality. The updated layout is more attractive and engaging, featuring vibrant new colors and dynamic graphs. User-friendly flows have been meticulously crafted to ensure that information is easily accessible and streamlining navigation. Additionally, the new version includes powerful tools specifically designed to support the implementation of Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) projects. These enhancements collectively make YEA a more intuitive and efficient platform, empowering users to achieve their project goals with greater ease and enjoyment. You can download the new YEA User Guide in English here.
Scaling Impact Across Continents
Vietnam: Nothing about Youth, without Youth
Vietnam, the birthplace of YEA through the AI&Me: Empowering Youth for Safer Roads program, continues to see the application flourish through its ongoing partnership with the AIP Foundation. The new versions of YEA will be utilized in two distinct projects – Empowering Youth for Livable Cities and AI&Me: Leveraging AI tool for road safety impact encompassing secondary schools and high schools across three different provinces. These projects funded by Fondation Botnar, FIA Foundation and Google.org aim to enhance road safety education and engagement among students and support the direct contribution of young people in the school zones national programme.
A recent co-creation workshop with students played a pivotal role in shaping the future of YEA in Vietnam. During this workshop, students provided valuable insights and feedback, helping to establish new priorities for the app’s use in the country. They also identified essential functionalities that should be included in the next upgrades, ensuring that YEA remains relevant and effective in addressing the unique needs of the Vietnamese school community.
Chile: First Spanish-Speaking Pilot
The Automóvil Club de Chile has played an active role in improving school environments, with the support of the FIA Safe and Sustainable Mobility Grants Programme. Through multiple assessments using the SR4S tool, they have implemented various road safety improvements in educational institutions across different regions of the country. Starting in mid-2025, the introduction of the YEA application in three schools in Santiago will further strengthen these efforts, enabling the collection of students’ perceptions of road safety and generating valuable information to guide future interventions in school environments.
To facilitate the use of the platform, which has been translated into Spanish, an explanatory video was created specifically for students and teachers. The video visually and clearly explains how to use the application. This resource is key to helping children easily understand how it works, encouraging their active participation in identifying road safety risks. In addition, it supports learning, promotes road safety education from an early age, and empowers students as agents of change in their communities.
South Africa: Walking Safely to School (WATCH) in Mamelodi
In South Africa, the collaboration with ChildSafe South Africa aims to pinpoint high-risk zones, implement targeted safety measures, and support evidence-based advocacy with local authorities to create safer school routes.
The updated YEA is anticipated to play a crucial role in gathering feedback from the school community on road safety issues in the Walking Safely to School (WATCH) project. Through this initiative, safety pins will be collected in two high schools and cross-referenced with SR4S assessments to evaluate both subjective and objective road safety conditions.
Peru: Empowering Peru’s Youth Through “Jóvenes con Calle”
The launch of the “Jóvenes con Calle” (“Streetwise Youth”) program in Peru, a youth-led initiative focused on road safety, sustainable mobility, and safe urban design, aligns perfectly with the capabilities of the new version of YEA. This project, spearheaded by members of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety (YOURS) and MOVISS – Citizens’ Association for Sustainable Mobility and Road Safety, aims to empower young people to take an active role in improving their communities.
YEA, with its intuitive interface, vibrant visuals, and advanced data visualization tools, is set to support the program’s youth leaders. The app will streamline project planning, community feedback collection, and risk area identification, enabling effective safety interventions. In May, workshops with youth and national road authorities will showcase YEA’s capabilities, fostering collaboration to build safer and more sustainable communities.
A Vision for Youth Engagement
The release of the updated YEA represents a major step forward in fostering youth participation. Rolled out in Vietnam, Chile, South Africa, and Peru, YEA sets a new benchmark for impactful engagement and enhances data collection through innovative technology. Its user-friendly design and scalability have been proven effective.
We extend our gratitude to Google.org for funding this upgraded version, and to Fondation Botnar and FIA Foundation for supporting the app’s initial development. Your dedication to promoting youth health and well-being is making school journeys safer and healthier for students globally.
YEA is now available in your application store and is free to use.
Scan and download:
For more information:
Please contact: schools@irap.org or yea@starratingforschools.org
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