Staying motivated on any journey, especially in personal growth and change, can be difficult. To address this, we have included a feature in Ake called Discussions. This feature allows direct communication between the Men’s Behaviour Change Programme clinician and service users, helping participants stay connected and engaged with the intervention.
Discussions are akin to having a message board dedicated to the intervention right in your pocket. They enable clinicians to send messages directly to service users individually or as part of a group. This opens up various options for facilitators to maintain engagement outside programme sessions, such as sending timely reminders, providing helpful resources, offering personalised encouragement, and promoting help-seeking behaviours. You can invite users to explore specific content within the app, share their thoughts on something discussed in the previous session, or suggest something to consider before the next session, which you can follow up on in person. With more time in the programme, service users may feel more comfortable working together and use the space provided by Ake to talk about their experiences and share resources.
If you notice that engagement with the discussions you’ve posted, or the app in general, is low among some users, this presents an opportunity for conversation with those participants. You can express curiosity about their experiences and address any issues accordingly. You can also check out our engagement guide at our Ake support website for more tips.
By fostering the habit of checking in with the app and engaging in discussions, participants develop a stronger connection with the programme, the material, and, ultimately, the efforts towards family well-being and safety.
Are you curious about how Ake can enhance your behaviour change programme? Get in touch for a demonstration.