Country of Residence
United States
Age
16
Project title
AWARE Connect: One Door to Help
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
AWARE Connect uses student-designed QR codes in familiar school spaces to make asking for mental health support simple and discreet.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/office-teaching-and-learning/programs-and-initiatives/nc-healthy-schools/nc-project-awareactivate
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
At school, we're always told that help is available if we're struggling, but knowing how to actually ask for it isn't always easy. Sometimes you don't know who to talk to, you're embarrassed, or you just don't want everyone knowing you're having a hard time. That's what made me start thinking: What if asking for help could be as simple as scanning a QR code? We use QR codes for everything, so why not use them to connect students with someone who can help? Instead of having to walk into the counselor's office or explain what's wrong in front of other people, a student could scan a code and simply say, "I need someone to check in with me." That's how the idea for AWARE Connect started. I wanted to create something simple that students would actually feel comfortable using. I also think it's important that students help decide what the QR codes say and where they're placed because we know what would make our classmates feel comfortable. My goal is to make asking for help feel normal, easy, and not so intimidating. Students shouldn't have to know who to ask. They should only have to ask.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Schools can have skilled mental health professionals, prevention programs, and community partnerships and still struggle to connect with students who need support. For a young person experiencing anxiety, sadness, isolation, or stress, the hardest part may be the first step: knowing whom to approach, finding a private moment, or finding the words to ask for help. Traditional referral pathways often depend on an adult recognizing a concern or a student feeling comfortable initiating a conversation. Those barriers can delay support, particularly for students who worry about stigma or do not know the roles of different school staff. This matters because access is not only about whether services exist. It's also about whether students can reach them when they need them. We want to close the gap between having help available and making that help approachable.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
AWARE Connect creates a simple, student-friendly entry point to existing school mental health supports. In a one-school pilot, students will co-design short, welcoming messages and help select appropriate, discreet locations for QR-code posters. When a student scans a code, it opens a brief, school-approved request form with a straightforward option such as "I'd like someone to check in with me." The request goes through a secure, designated school process so an appropriate counselor, social worker, psychologist, or other trained support professional can follow up according to school protocols. Students do not need to diagnose their concerns or choose which professional to contact. The pilot will establish clear expectations for response, student privacy, accessibility, and urgent-safety situations; the QR code will not be presented as a 24/7 crisis service. We will test the language and experience with students, train participating staff, and use aggregate feedback and usage data to improve the model. The initial pilot would support co-design, printed materials, implementation, and a simple evaluation. Because it builds on existing people and procedures, schools can adopt the approach without creating an entirely new service system.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
AWARE Connect is in the planning stage; the QR-code approach has not yet launched, so we are not claiming student outcomes. Our first measurable milestone is a pilot in one school, with student-designed materials and a reliable, school-approved process for responding to help requests. We will track scans, requests for check-ins, response follow-through, and student feedback on whether asking for help feels easier. Results will be reported in aggregate to protect privacy. The idea grows out of a strong foundation: NC Project AWARE/ACTIVATE has helped train more than 53,000 educators and school personnel and establish 94 formal agreements with community mental health providers. Those are achievements of the broader AWARE initiative, not of this proposed QR-code project. AWARE Connect aims to translate that existing capacity into a simpler first step for students. If the pilot is promising, we will package the model for use by other schools and districts.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Many schools have mental health resources, staff directories, referral forms, and crisis information. Those tools matter, but they still leave students with decisions: Who do I contact? Which form do I use? Is my problem "serious enough"? What do I say? AWARE Connect removes much of that friction. One visible, student-designed QR code becomes a welcoming front door, while the school's existing support team handles what happens behind it. The innovation is not the QR-code technology itself; it is the way the technology is combined with student voice, a simple help-seeking message, and an established human response pathway. Rather than asking students to navigate a complex system, we organize the system around a single request: "Please check in with me." The approach is intentionally inexpensive, easy to adapt, and designed to complement—not replace—school counselors, social workers, psychologists, or crisis protocols. We will also treat trust as part of the design: students will help choose the words, locations, and instructions that make the tool useful. Success means more than scans; it means students feel they can ask, and a caring adult responds.
How many people are on your team?
7
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Our team includes a small group of 5–7 students from our school's student leadership or peer support group. We share ideas and responsibilities, including designing the QR codes, deciding where to place them, spreading awareness, and gathering feedback from classmates. Everyone has a voice in decisions, and we'll work with school counselors and social workesrs to make sure students who reach out can get the help they need.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, we plan to move AWARE Connect from concept to a small, testable pilot. First, we will identify one participating school and confirm leadership support, a designated response team, and a secure way to route requests. Next, we will invite students to co-design the QR-code wording and placement so the invitation to seek help feels natural and trustworthy. We will develop printed materials, clarify response and privacy procedures, and orient school staff before launch. During the pilot, we will review aggregate usage and feedback, assess whether students understand the option, and make adjustments when the process creates confusion or delays. Finally, we will document a practical toolkit—sample language, signage, implementation guidance, and evaluation questions—that other schools can adapt. Our goal is to learn what works in one school before exploring replication through additional Project AWARE partners.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I think students are more likely to use something when they feel like they helped create it. That's why I want other students to be involved in AWARE Connect from the beginning. Our student leadership or peer support group can help decide what the QR codes say, where to put them, and how to make students feel comfortable using them. We also want to work with school counselors, teachers, and administrators to make sure students who ask for help actually get connected to someone. We can spread the word through school announcements, social media, posters, and conversations with classmates. We're still in the beginning stages, but our goal is to start at one school, see what works, and hopefully inspire other schools to try it too. I want students to know that asking for help is nothing to be embarrassed about, and sometimes one small action, like scanning a QR code, can make a big difference
