Photo: Rafał Rudol on Unsplash
App offers energy top-ups for spending time in parks
27 September 2022
by Sarah Wray
A project in Derry, Northern Ireland will allow carers to earn rewards including electricity, fuel and mobile phone top-ups in return for spending time in green spaces.
The initiative is part of the eCareWell research project at Ulster University, led by Professor Joan Condell and funded through the UK Community Renewal Fund. The study aims to understand how digital technology can meet the needs of carers and support their health and wellbeing, and community currency platform Civic Dollars is one of the selected tools.
Cost-of-living crisis
The Civic Dollars platform is already being used in Belfast and Dublin to enable local authorities to reward residents for activities to improve health and wellbeing.
Stephen McPeake, founder of Civic Dollars, explained how the platform has been adapted for the eCareWell project.
“Initially, we wanted to provide a solution that would encourage participants to get healthier and more active by earning Civic Dollars in the parks and open spaces in the Derry City & Strabane District Council area.
“But we also made some enhancements to our platform so we could offer carers a unique set of rewards that have been tailored to their needs during this cost-of-living crisis. These include £5 top-ups for their electricity, fuel, or their mobile phone which they can use for themselves, or issue to the people they are caring for.”
Users can get a top-up in exchange for 15 ‘civic dollars’, which could be earned by spending 7.5 hours in ‘earn zones’ in eight designated parks. Redemption is limited to once per week per participant initially.
Carers can receive top-ups via an online update or vouchers, depending on the service. Other rewards include offers and discounts from local businesses.
“The top-ups are being offered via funding we’ve received from the eCarewell project, but we intend to get this funded from local corporations if the project gets extended,” McPeake said.
He said the cost-of-living top-ups can be replicated across any city or region and that his company is currently working on a tender for a city to do this.
Mental health support
Another Ulster University project Civic Dollars is involved with is focused on how digital technologies could help to support patients suffering from mental disorders such as anxiety, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The IT4Anxiety project will use blended therapy and integrate validated digital tools from start-ups. Tailored reward options include free mental health and resilience online courses and webinars.
The participants of both projects can choose to donate their Civic Dollars to local community groups and charities.
McPeake said that in Belfast, over 5,000 hours of activity have been registered in parks by Civic Dollars users. In Dublin, 44 percent of the 5,400 Civic Dollars earned have been donated to local community groups and charities.
The company is looking to expand to Europe, the US and the Middle East.
