With millennial preferences in mind, Care Net has developed an educational “app” for your client room toolbox.
If you are like me, you are not a digital native– that is, someone who has never lived without modern technology, such as the Internet, computers, smartphones, and tablets. When I was a child the only tablet on the market was the Etch A Sketch®; fun and easy, but I could not check my email from it!Millennials, (people born after 1980[i]) find it hard to imagine a life without constant, easy connectivity. They embrace all things digital, which allows them to connect, share, and learn.[ii] In essence, technology is their language.
We might not always understand the native tongue of those we serve, but like missionaries who learn Mandarin before moving to China, pregnancy center workers must learn the language of those most vulnerable to abortion– women and men in their 20s.[iii] It doesn’t mean we have to know how to write code or text entirely with emoticons, but it does mean we should be open to new tools that will enhance our interactions with Millennials. While technology should never replace relationship (can I get an Amen?), technology can be used to enhance the educational component of a client visit at your center.
Consider some of the learning preferences of Millennials.[iv] They:
1. Expect immediacy
2. Appreciate real-time information
3. Have low tolerance for ambiguity
4. Have short attention spans
5. Do not process info in a linear manner
6. Like to learn at their own pace
7. Prefer visual learning with hands-on practice
8. Want info that is clear, concise, and relevant
Based on the interactions you have at your center everyday, I am sure you have experienced this list first-hand, and could even add a few items to it.
If you are nodding your head and wondering how to make an impact on a generation that relies so heavily on their “devices,” there is good news ahead.
With millennial preferences in mind, Care Net has developed an educational“app” for your client room toolbox. Not meant to replace conversation or relationship building, the BYD: Live app creates an interactive experience for the client to learn about pregnancy options, including abortion, adoption, parenting, and marriage. It is the perfect companion to Before You Decide (BYD), our popular magazine-style resource, which expands on the information in the app.
Some of the features include:
- Short videos (5-7 minutes each) of a physician explaining abortion procedures (including medical abortions), complications, and risks in all three trimesters
- Short video of a professional therapist explaining the potential emotional impacts of abortion
- Care Net’s “Before You Decide: Abortion or Baby” animated educational video
- Pregnancy calculator to determine estimated due date
- Quizzes to educate on adoption and marriage
- Full Gospel presentation using EvanTell’s Bad News/Good News format
- Specific content for both female and male clients
- Integration with EHD’s Little One Pregnancy Guide app showing video images of life in the womb through all stages of pregnancy (Note: The EHD app is now available in both Spanish and English for tablets and smart phones at no charge and can be offered as a free resource to all pregnant clients during their first office visit!)
- And much more!
View a short tutorial below!
In line with Care Net’s standards of excellence, the app has been approved by Care Net’s Medical Advisory Board.
Affordably priced and available now to download on either an Android or Apple tablet.
As you consider the needs of your center, I do hope you will consider adding the BYD: Live app to your toolbox. As I have shared the app with Millennials in my life, the feedback has been tremendous. Word from centers testing the app with clients is even more encouraging. Hearts are being softened, minds are being opened, and lives are literally being saved. It might not be as easy to operate as an Etch A Sketch ®, but the impact is so much greater!
[i]Pew Research Center. (2010). Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change. Retrieved from:http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/02/24/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change/
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Jones RK, Finer LB and Singh S, Characteristics of U.S. Abortion Patients, 2008, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2010.
[iv] Aviles, M., & Eastman, J. K. (2012). Utilizing technology effectively to improve millennials’ educational performance. Journal of International Education in Business, 5(2), 96-113.