How a nimble Canadian tech company is helping Americans find help through the GENYOUth app

In troubled times we band together, and in recent months faced with a pandemic lockdown and economic turmoil, that time to support one another has never been more crucial.

Canada and the US share more than just a border, we count on each other for trade, culture and are united in friendship, even in troubled times.

So, when COVID-19 hit, like with any emergency the timing was everything.

 
Canadian tech company Clockwork Inc. saw an opportunity to aid Americans who rely on assistance for food, shelter, and more through the creation of the GENYOUth Resource Finder mobile app, a collaboration with SAP and GENYOUth that brings tech-for-good to the forefront.

 
CEO Mike Roach rallied his team to create a free iOS app to help users navigate and locate free resources available to over 50 million at-risk youth and families.

“We have a shared responsibility for the communities that we do business in,” offers Mike Roach, a former SAP employee that founded Clockwork Inc. in Toronto 22 years ago.

 
Harnessing the data made available by SAP and GENYOUth through their SAP4Kids Program, Clockwork quickly identified the opportunity to expand on the program and build a custom and robust iOS app to allow users the real-time data to access these free resources, which now include food, healthcare, shelter, and financial assistance.

While the need for intervention was identified early, the discussion remained, how do we best deliver the data to connect those vulnerable with the aid they need most, when they need it most.

 
Clockwork Inc. internally held a hackathon with their employees, challenging their data and analytics teams to deliver the best prototypes, and in just four days, the design choice became clear.

“Apps need to be easy to use and intuitive,” says Mike, who selected the final version of the app, a flat user interface with a sleek and simple design that delivers the data quickly and clearly.

Built on the SAP Cloud Platform using the Mobile Software Development Kit (SDK for iOS), the SAP FIORI based app allows developers to be flexible in their modeling and offers built-in reliability backed by SAP.

 
Impressively, the all-Canadian software-services company created this app in a few short weeks, completely pro bono, an act of altruism and camaraderie that proves inspiring, just when society needs it most.

You can download the app for free from the App Store and learn more about Clockwork Inc, GENYOUth, and SAP4Kids.