“I never imagined I would be doing this; it’s changed my life”

Wednesday 19 June 2024

I was drawn to journalism because I wanted to help people tell their stories. I whole-heartedly believe that everyone has a story worth telling and Gabriel Brown is no exception to this.

When I heard his story at a forum at New Scotland Yard earlier this year, I felt compelled to share it, particularly when it is one that can directly contribute to the safety of islanders (for free).

At 22, Gabriel falls firmly in the category of ‘Gen-zedders’ (born between 1997 and 2012).

Regardless of your personal view of Gen-Z, it is hard to dispute the social, environmental, and economic challenges they are inheriting. In Guernsey, Gen Z are coming of age faced with the lowest minimum wage in the British Isles, the most unaffordable housing in Western Europe, and an above-average gender pay gap. Gen Z are also dubbed “Generation Covid”, with many of them having lost years of their education and formative experiences with their peers to the lockdown.

It is somewhat remarkable, therefore, – in the face of these challenges – Gen Z are also recognised as one of the most socially-conscious collectives globally, with a tech-savvy entrepreneurial spirit to contribute solutions to a myriad of problems that they did not cause.

“Flare” – a personal safety app created by Gabriel - is a prime example of just such a solution, borne out of concern, frustration, and a drive to help.

“I was in the year group whose A-levels were cancelled due to the 2020 lockdown, so my academic year finished early, and I was left with a huge amount of free time, with heavy restrictions on how I could use it,” said Gabriel.

“When the Black Lives Matter protests started taking place – prompted by the tragic murder of George Floyd by police officers in the US – I wanted to be involved but wasn’t sure how to best direct my efforts. I remember seeing the black-out posts on social media (where users posted a black square in allegiance with BLM), which I thought was a powerful message, however it also highlighted to me that there was a gap between digital action and direct action.

“I had the idea to build a social media platform around direct action; open to everyone but primarily aimed at protestors with shared causes, whatever those may be.”

With no previous coding experience, Gabriel embarked on his “very difficult” journey of developing the platform.

“Over that summer, I managed to get the app to a first stage, but quickly realised that I needed to find software developers to support me. I was attending Cambridge University in the September and hoped I would find like-minded, and skilled, students to support me; thankfully I did.”

Gabriel teamed up with fellow students Morgan Saville and Geno Racklin Asher on the project.

“I was extremely nervous taking the app – initially called ‘Cause’ - to Morgan and Gino at our first meeting, but I needn’t have been. They really understood what I was trying to achieve and agreed with the concept of utilising technology for good. Over the last 4 years we have maintained our passion for the project while the concept has evolved and pivoted significantly.”

Gabriel explained that the app initially had a protest information function, a social network feature, ‘discover’ page and an emergency messaging system for protester safety.

“Something I learned from reading stories online and talking with friends is that, when protesting, personal safety was a huge cause for concern. I had a friend in Hong Kong who had wanted to take part in protests opposing a new law in 2019, and he was extremely worried about being arrested and lost in the system.

“In big crowds – like at protests – it can be easy for individuals to feel invisible, so we wanted the app to include an emergency feature that would send a pre-written message to an emergency contact with one touch, for example to tell a friend or family member, or even a lawyer, that you need help. It was designed to promote visibility, but was just one part of the wider app.”

Gabriel said that user testing of the app gave “unexpected” results.

“We were at university, so our test group was primarily other students. We realised very early on that the feature that users were most excited about was the emergency message function.

“By August 2023 we were ready to release Cause and were considering how to overcome the various challenges of launching. We started reflecting on our user feedback and it was impossible for us to ignore that the emergency message feature was the silver bullet. We had a full app ready to go, so it was somewhat of a difficult decision when we agreed that we should redirect our efforts and focus solely on the emergency function. We went back to the drawing board, stripped out other features, and eventually rebranded as “Flare”, a safety app.”

What was initially intended as a safety feature for protesters developed into a wider concept.

“After we tested Flare with users, we were getting so much feedback that the app should be available much wider than just to protesters, it had a place in all situations, for example when travelling, at concerts, or on campuses, where users expressed having those same fears for their safety,” continued Gabriel.

“I think there can be an issue with app developers – or creators of any tech – in providing solutions to their perception of a problem. As a white man, I absolutely acknowledge that I am limited in my own experiences of fears for my safety because I simply don’t face the same threats or microaggressions of other people. It was incredibly important to us to have a grassroots approach to Flare, to seek input and feedback from as many demographics as possible and draw on their experiences to design an app that spoke to, and helped, everyone.”

Today, Flare has evolved from purely an emergency messaging app, to also allowing users to share their location data with an emergency contact. It is free to download/use and works for Guernsey mobile numbers too.

After hearing Gabriel speak, I downloaded the app and reached out to him in the hopes of helping promote Flare. I was incredibly inspired by Gabriel’s story, and perhaps even more so by his self-effacing attitude. Throughout the entirety of this interview, Gabriel focused almost entirely on how the efforts and contributions of those around him had resulted in Flare, appointing little credit to himself.

Although noticeably a little uncomfortable in doing so, Gabriel answered a final question about the impact journey of creating Flare – which he currently works on full-time - has had on his life.

“I never imagined I would be doing this; it’s changed my life and the values that I’ll eventually take forward into the world of work. Listening to ideas and collaborating to bring something meaningful to fruition has been an incredible experience. I’ve had the freedom to get things wrong and learn lessons, which I’m incredibly grateful for because I wouldn’t have had that same freedom if I’d gone straight into a grad-programme for example,” he said.

“Working on Flare has been difficult, but my motivator is to focus on the impact the app will have. I will always carry that forward with me; I want to make sure, whatever I do, I’m always motivated by having a positive impact.”

You can download Flare ONLINE.