MyHealthEd, Inc. Wins Federal Grant to Evaluate Real Talk Mobile App
January 31, 2022 (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) – MyHealthEd, Inc., in partnership with Power to Decide and Child Trends, has been awarded a multi-year federal grant by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to rigorously evaluate the Real Talk mobile app. Real Talk is a mobile app that uses storytelling to improve adolescent mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Real Talk provides a platform for youth 13-17 years old to share and read stories on topics like relationships and mental health, with the purpose of helping young people realize they are not alone in their experiences. Youth are also able to find vetted resources directly within the app to help them navigate health issues.
Real Talk was initially developed through the Innovation Next Accelerator and has been publicly available since 2017. Since launching, Real Talk has helped nearly 30,000 youth and young adults across the United States access high quality health content and resources. Users on the platform have accessed over 15,000 online resources and shared over 4,700 stories. Real Talk has been featured in publications like Teen Vogue and Forbes, and was recently selected as an Anthem Award Health Innovation Finalist.
The five-year evaluation partnership is funded as part of the Personal Responsibility Education Innovative Strategies (PREIS) Program, which awarded $10.7 million to 12 recipients in 2021. This project will evaluate Real Talk’s innovative use of youth stories as part of a comprehensive sex education program delivered to youth entirely via a mobile app.
“We are proud of what we have accomplished with Real Talk over the last few years to support youth health. This partnership provides the expertise and resources to expand our work even further.”
– Cristina Leos, Co-Founder & CEO of MyHealthEd, Inc.
About MyHealthEd, Inc.
MyHealthEd, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to using human-centered design to improve the health and wellbeing of youth of every identity. MyHealthEd, Inc. was founded in 2016 by three women of color in efforts to increase access to health education in low-income and rural communities. The organization is based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For more information, visit www.myhealthed.org.
Media Contact:
Avanti Godbole
P.S. There are lots of ways to support our work further – whether through financial support or partnering with us to bring Real Talk to teens in your community. Email us with any inquiries at hello@myhealthed.org.