Great Lakes Funding Development of Online Support Community for College Freshman Women

Madison, Wis., October 30, 2017—The transition from high school to college is a difficult time. Lack of preparation or feelings of sudden isolation can cause first-year students to lose confidence and drop out after a semester or two. Young women are particularly vulnerable; in a 2016 American College Health Association survey, 90% of college women reported feeling overwhelmed. To address this issue, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates made a grant to nonprofit Building Brave to develop an online support community called College Confidence.

A component of Building Brave's mobile app, College Confidence uses inspiring messages and interactive support to empower young women as they navigate the transition into college life. Content is informed by scientific research and reviewed by a board of psychologists, life coaches and subject matter experts. Using proven techniques from gaming and social media, the app encourages women to overcome everyday challenges. Over time, participants will gain the confidence to tackle more difficult life challenges by earning points and badges as they unlock new levels of achievement.

The Building Brave app launched on October 18, 2017 and is available for free at the iOS App Store and on Google Play.

To learn more about the College Confidence project, visit community.mygreatlakes.org.