New app to lure more children out into nature

May 04, 2021

Through fun and exciting challenges in nature, the new app, Woop, aims at getting more children and young people outside. The app has been developed in close collaboration between the Danish Scout Council and the digital agency, Valtech, and it needs to support both the school, the family and the council’s engagements with the young people while also supporting the Danish Scout Council’s explosive growth.

The name Woop describes very accurately the feeling the app should evoke in children and young people while outside in the nature. It should create excitement and make it fun and educational for them to get outside into our wonderful nature. And the need for this is clear, explains Peter Tranevig, Head of Communications at the Danish Scout Council:

”Today, only 26% of Danish 11-15-year-old students meet the Danish Health Authority's recommendations for physical activity, although many of them actually want to be more outside in the nature. That desire has certainly intensified during the recent corona pandemic. Therefore, I also see the new Woop app as a very relevant part of the solution for more outdoor life for Danish children and young people.” 

From good intention to active action

If your phone is one of the more than 150,000 phones that already have the app, you might be wondering. In a way, this is a relaunch, as Woop is actually one of the oldest apps in Denmark, with a full 9 year existence. However, the app has undergone such radical changes that it is a completely new and significantly improved version that is ready to inspire children and young people and their parents and teachers, so that even more people can enjoy great experiences in nature, Peter Tranevig further explains:

”Our day to day life is full of good intentions. Both in school, leisure time, family and in our society. But we often stumble along the way. With Woop, school classes opt out of the sedentary math lessons and goes in search of maths in the nearby forest. The younger children celebrate birthday parties outdoors, and scout groups create wild races with challenging entries in the app. We have the past nine years of user experience and feedback, and we know it's a popular app that makes a significant difference. By using the fascination of digital to bring nature closer to us, we move the good intentions into concrete action.”  

When the good intentions and good business go hand in hand

With support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which has granted an impressive DKK 2.8 million to the project, the Danish Scout Council has really been able to aim high. They developed the app in close collaboration with the global, digital agency, Valtech. For Valtech, the collaboration has been about much more than design, digital development and the actual creation of the new app, explains Laus Breyen-Vinding, Client Service Director from Valtech:

”Although the Danish Scout Corps is far from the only NGO we have a close collaboration with, it is always special to be part of a collaboration that primarily focuses on benefiting the public. But with our normal width in our advice, it is impossible for us to look at an app like this, without also seeing the development potential for the Danish Scout Corps. And as an added bonus, we ultimately help to create the best terms for children and young people throughout Denmark.”

Over the coming months, Woop will be updated with additional features, more exciting hunts and tasks, as well as new interesting partners. The hope is that even more children and young people will venture outside to experience the nature.  At the same time, Valtech and the Danish Scout Council continue their partnership around the app's continuous development.

 
Facts:

• Woop is available in all app-stores
• Woop has been designed and developed in cooperation with Valtech
• Woop was originally launched in 2012
• Through the app, users can create digital treasure hunts with their own content or premade content from the partners of the app
• The app is developed to make it easier and more fun for children and young people in Denmark to go outside into nature    
• The app is operated by The Danish Scout Council, who received DKK 2.8 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to fund a substantial relaunch
• Woop can be used in many ways – from childrens’ birthday parties and the scout meeting to a trip outside, a family gathering and for teaching at school