Generation Impact: Three young innovators join forces to make streets safer for women

Kevin Cordero, Fabiola Blanco, and Viviana Madriz met in 10th grade at CEDES Don Bosco High School in San José, Costa Rica — just a few years ago. They bonded around their passion for technology, collaborating on school projects, competing in hackathons together, and spending lunch hours dreaming up ways they could use their talents to help others. As friends and as teammates, they just clicked, with each bringing their own superpower to the mix: Madriz, the operations and planning whiz; Cordero, the graphic designer; and Blanco, the software developer.

One afternoon, the three of them were hanging out at Blanco’s house after school talking about big challenges in the world, as they often did, and the conversation turned to harassment. Specifically, the kind of unwanted attention, advances, and even violence women all over the world face every single day.

“Harassment is something we have all experienced at least once in our lives,” says Madriz, 21. “It interferes with women’s success because it happens at work, at universities, in the street, everywhere.”

According to a survey from the University of Costa Rica, six in 10 women have reported experiencing some sort of public harassment. The World Health Organization reports that globally, one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence, with younger women at the highest risk.  

“We were really scared about that and said, ‘How can we change this?’” recalls Cordero, 20. “Then we started writing ideas on a white board about how we could help women feel safer.”

In that moment, the idea for Roshe was born. Those white board scribbles would soon blossom into plans for an app, wearable tech, and what Cordero, Blanco, and Madriz envision as a full-blown movement to make public spaces safer for women.

The new short film Generation Impact: The Guardians, directed by Alessandra Lacorazza of Meerkat Media and produced by T Brand Studio, reveals how the Roshe team has been working to move their idea forward. It’s the fourth in the Generation Impact series of short documentary films by the Garage by HP, which spotlights remarkable young people using technology to make the world a better place. Through powerful personal stories from family members and behind-the-scenes views of the team in action, the film shows how they’re channeling their passion for change into Roshe.

“When you first meet them, you can’t help but notice how young they are, but as soon as you enter a conversation, you quickly forget,” Lacorazza says. “They go to school, work, help out with their families, and now have a business that has the potential to change the world. I know they won’t stop until they achieve their goal.”

Roshe is a crowdsourcing app to alert others of potential dangers, find safe routes to travel, and notify emergency contacts if someone doesn’t arrive at their intended destination. The team is currently working on 3D prototypes of a wearable panic button that could be worn as a necklace, ring, or bracelet and have plans to partner with local businesses to identify safe spaces for women who feel threatened.

“We all have the right to live in a world where we feel safe and can walk alone without being afraid,” says Blanco, 21. “I want Roshe to make that world possible.”

The burgeoning project took a huge leap forward in 2020 when the Roshe team won third place in the BeChangeMaker competition, a social entrepreneurship program created by WorldSkills and HP Foundation. The global program gives teams of innovators aged 18 to 35 training and coaching to develop business ideas designed for social impact. Teams take courses online through HP LIFE in everything from social media marketing to business management and build presentation skills with help from HP mentors. BeChangeMaker culminates in a pitch competition where the top five teams present their ideas to a panel of judges. Prizes for the top three teams include startup funding and HP technology to help get their businesses off the ground.

“The Roshe team already had a great idea and the technology skills,” says Karol Zeledon, HP Costa Rica site operations and sustainability manager and a BeChangeMaker judge. “It was amazing to see how all the knowledge they acquired and the feedback they got from mentors built their confidence and improved their presentation skills throughout the process.”

Over 200 teams from 53 countries and regions applied for this year’s competition, BeChangeMaker 2022. Their business ideas tackle issues ranging from soil conservation to online bullying to sustainable sanitation products for women and girls. The final pitch competition for this year’s program was held last month.

“Winning BeChangeMaker was so exciting for us,” says Cordero. “It gave us a basis in how to do a lot of things that we didn’t know and helped us develop our idea so we can make it a reality.”  

MORE: Watch more episodes of Generation Impact, and discover more young innovators making the world a better place through technology.