Send us Fan Mail

How do you make sure a digital health app reflects what young people actually need?

In this episode of Up, Up and Away, Dom Burch meets Dawite Mosisa from YoungMinds to explore how young people have helped shape a new mental wellbeing feature for the Digital Health Passport.

Tiny Medical Apps has worked alongside YoungMinds, People&Co., young people, parents and carers to develop a prototype for young people aged 13–25 living with long-term health conditions. Through listening sessions, design feedback and testing, participants have helped the team understand what would make digital support useful, safe and trustworthy.

Dawite shares his journey from supporting young people leaving psychiatric wards and the criminal justice system to leading YoungMinds’ youth advisory group. He explains the care that goes into meaningful participation, why young people should be paid for their contributions, and the importance of returning to show them how their feedback has influenced the work.

It’s a warm, thoughtful conversation about recognising potential, building trust and giving young people a meaningful role in shaping their own support.

In this episode:

• 01:25 — Dawite’s journey: Nine years working in mental health and his move to YoungMinds.
• 02:42 — Creating opportunities, seeing potential: How practical responsibilities can help young people build confidence and skills.
• 06:52 — Bridging young people and colleagues: Supporting youth advisers to contribute across the charity.
• 10:06 — The Digital Health Passport project: Bringing mental wellbeing into support for young people with long-term conditions.
• 11:05 — Listening, designing and testing: How young people helped shape the proposed feature.
• 13:00 — “You said, we did”: Why payment and a visible feedback loop matter.
• 18:54 — Behind the scenes of participation: Recruitment, regular support and creating opportunities for marginalised young people.
• 22:50 — Hopes for the app: A trusted resource young people can return to for guidance and reassurance.
• 24:42 — What comes next: More opportunities for youth advisers to influence YoungMinds and support community organisations.
• 25:49 — Why lived experience matters: Giving young people space to contribute, challenge and refine ideas.

A thought to take away

“It was literally all about listening.” — Dawite Mosisa

Meaningful co-design means listening carefully, acting on what you hear and coming back to check you’ve understood.

About YoungMinds

YoungMinds is a charity working towards a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health. It supports young people, equips the adults around them and helps young people make their voices heard.

Find out more at youngminds.org.uk.

Up, Up and Away is the podcast from Tiny Medical Apps, exploring the people, ideas and partnerships shaping the Digital Health Passport.