The Story of Mind Of My Own

Yvonne Anderson | October 5 2023

< 1 min read

Do opposites attract?

When Yvonne and Jill met in 2015 they immediately hit it off. Under their different personalities was a golden thread of shared experiences, principles and beliefs. From troubled childhood to turbulent adolescence, they had both gone on to flourish in careers within children services. At their first meeting both Jill and Yvonne had arrived at a similar point in wanting to harness the potential of digital technology to enable children to participate more fully by having their voices heard.

Fast forward to 2023

The company that Yvonne and Jill formed in October 2015 has grown into a thriving organisation with a mixed workforce of 25 employees and contractors. Everyone who works at Mind Of My Own is doing more than just a job. They are profoundly moved by the impact they know they have on the lives of children. To do a special job, you need special people.

Changing lives in small and big ways

Our apps for children and young people, One, Express and Xchange, have been used tens of thousands of times. Every time a Mind Of My Own app is used, a practitioner or other trusted adult can discover something new, something they didn’t know before about the child. When that adult acts upon receiving the information, the child’s life changes – sometimes in a very small way, sometimes in a huge, powerful way. Always that change is positive and significant.

What next?

Mind Of My Own Aotearoa is our Hawkes Bay office, serving children and practitioners in New Zealand and Australia. Expansion into other countries will follow – children throughout the world have the right to speak up for themselves and being heard by trusted adults enables their participation in decision making that will affect their lives now and in the future.