The platform is grounded in human science. We worked closely with psychiatrists, psychologists, and child protection advocates to design its behavioural health foundations, then partnered with Chiefs and Councils, community-based child advocates, Jordan’s Principle experts, school principals, guidance counsellors, Elders, and a focus group of 30 Indigenous youth over a 16-month period. This process ensured the experience worked across gameplay, culture, behavioural health, and front-line practice.

Buddy’s Quest helps child advocates listen to children—even when children are not speaking directly to adults. The game is completely anonymous for youth. While children play, qualified adults gain real-time, population-level insight into how kids are doing. An optional anonymous chat feature can be enabled at a community’s discretion and disabled at any time.

The modular design currently supports insight related to risk, substance use, bullying, gender and identity, domestic violence, and self-harm. Based on partner feedback, we are exploring additional modules including human trafficking, disordered eating, gambling, ADHD, and autism. Buddy’s Quest is designed to evolve continuously as communities learn and grow.

Privacy and safety are foundational. Buddy’s Quest collects no personal information or personal health information. There are no logins, usernames, email addresses, or phone numbers. Access is managed through community-issued codes that allow partners to create cohorts (for example: middle school/high school, on- or off-reserve, gender groupings, special needs, foster care). Think of it as a software license assigned to a device—not to a child.

Learn more at buddysquest.com
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