PASTORAL care worker and business owner Belinda Tilley has a vision to empower young people across Australia – starting in Mount Gambier – with an app designed to improve “self equity”.
A “self trainer for self confidence”, the i-myself app would be the first of its kind and Ms Tilley hopes to surround herself with a team of passionate locals to get the project off the ground.
The i-myself concept was among the top four Venture Dorm projects showcased at the New Venture Institute eNVIe awards last week, following the seven-week entrepreneur development program.
Ms Tilley said her idea to create a tool to help young people improve their self worth had been “brewing for 25 years”.
“i-myself did not exist when I started Venture Dorm eight weeks ago, but I have since created a product and now have an advisory board behind me,” she said.
“Before the program I had no idea what I wanted to create, I just knew I wanted to find a way to help young people.
“i-myself will change young people’s opinions of themselves, empower them to believe in themselves and give them 100pc equity in who they are and what they are capable of.”
Ms Tilley worked as a filmmaker and undercover journalist in Zimbabwe before she immigrated to Australia 13 years ago and has worked with young people and youth organisations in Canada, America, the United Kingdom and Indonesia.
“I am now a pastoral care worker at Allendale East Area School and run a business as a branding consultant,” she said.
“I am passionate about helping young people and I am involved with a number of youth organisations.
“Empowering young people to know their worth and see them flourish is always at the heart of my work.”
The i-myself app will aim to improve what Ms Tilley described as a broader “self equity deficit” among young people.
“Without a good measure of self equity, life can be extremely painful and even fatal,” she said.
“i-myself will act as a tool to improve self equity and it will come at the bullying problem from two angles.
“If a young person knows who they are and what they are worth they can respect everyone else as well – they will not be trying to get power from someone else.
“People will not need to bully others to feel better about themselves if they have access to this app.
“i-myself will make the strategies I have employed with young people for 25 years easily accessible and on-hand at all times.”
Ms Tilley said while the concept had received support from a number of locals, she needed the wider community to rally behind the project.
“I have been working with Metro owner Toni Vorenas for the past year to find a way to scale the content I use to make it available to every student,” she said.
“St Martins College is interested in running a pilot and I have Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell and Louise Adams on board – there is a lot of support, but more is needed.
“There has been huge interest from the tech sector and companies in Adelaide and Melbourne, but I would prefer to change Mount Gambier’s young people with this product first and I want local experts to join my team.
“I’m looking for pro bono legal advice, accounting advice and local tech experts and I want a team aligned with the same values who are focused on the outcomes.
“I think i-myself would be so powerful and my dream is that one day it will be a fundamental part of the education system.”
Ms Tilley has urged community members to email b@belindatilley.com to get involved or offer their support.
