The inspiration for UnityConnect came from hearing about the significant struggles that refugees and immigrants face as they attempt to adapt to life in a new country. We were deeply affected by stories of how language barriers, limited resource access, and cultural unfamiliarity can hinder one’s ability to thrive and feel safe. The more we researched, the clearer it became that language proficiency isn't just a convenience—it’s a determinant of health and well-being. With UnityConnect, we set out to create a comprehensive solution that empowers individuals to overcome these barriers and feel welcomed in their new communities.

UnityConnect is a digital platform designed to support refugees and immigrants as they integrate into their new surroundings. The app provides:

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Real-Time Translation for Conversations: Seamless communication with automatic in-app translation, enabling cross-language conversations.

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Resource Directory with Maps: A guide to essential services like healthcare centers and shelters, complete with location details and descriptions.

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Cultural and Community Events: A curated list of local events that foster cultural exchange and social connections.

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Support Chat with Volunteer Mentors: A network of mentors who offer guidance on navigating daily life, from transportation to job opportunities.

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Emergency and Legal Support Information: Quick access to contacts for crisis and legal aid, ensuring users have the information they need in critical situations.

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Language Exchange Pairing: A feature that connects users interested in learning each other’s languages, encouraging mutual language practice and cultural understanding.

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Transportation Resources: Information on local transit systems, including schedules and route guidance.

AI Chat Assistant: A smart, multilingual assistant that helps users navigate the app and access relevant resources.

Our development process involved leveraging various technologies:

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Real-Time Translation: We integrated translation APIs to enable Mapping and Resource Directory: Using geolocation services and mapping tools, we created an intuitive directory for essential resources.

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Events and Language Exchange: We designed a database-driven system to handle events and user matching for language practice.

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Volunteer Mentor Network: Collaborations with local organizations enabled us to establish a mentor support feature, integrated into our messaging framework.

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AI Chat Assistant: We built our AI Assistant with natural language processing capabilities to offer multilingual support, ensuring accessibility for users with varying language needs.

Developing UnityConnect posed several challenges. One major hurdle was achieving accurate and culturally aware translations for our real-time communication feature. Another challenge was ensuring that our resource directory remained up-to-date and comprehensive, which required extensive partnerships with local service providers. Designing an AI Chat Assistant capable of understanding and responding in multiple languages, while maintaining accuracy and cultural sensitivity, also proved difficult. Finally, balancing the platform’s complexity with a user-friendly design was an ongoing challenge that required careful planning and feedback.

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Accomplishments that we're proud of

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We’re incredibly proud of creating a platform that addresses real-world needs and has the potential to make a meaningful impact. Successfully integrating real-time translation and launching an AI-powered multilingual assistant were significant technical achievements. Additionally, building a user-centric interface that facilitates access to critical resources and community support is a major accomplishment. We’re also proud of our collaboration with local organizations to ensure our resource directory and mentor network are robust and reliable.

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What we learned

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This project has been a tremendous learning experience for our team. We gained insights into the importance of cultural competence in design and technology. Working with translation and language support technologies deepened our understanding of the complexities of multilingual communication. We also learned the value of partnerships in building a resource-rich platform and the importance of iterative user testing to refine our design.

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What's next for UnityConnect

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Looking forward, we plan to expand UnityConnect’s features. Future updates include:

Resource Verification: Partnering with more organizations to verify and expand our directory.

Community Feedback Mechanism: Enabling users to review resources and services to improve reliability.

Offline Access: Developing offline capabilities for accessing crucial information without internet connectivity.

Scalability: Expanding to support more regions and languages as our user base grows.

Built With

• apenai-realtime-api

• chatgpt

• database-management

• firebase

• firestone

• ios

• javascript

• mapkit

• node.js

• open-ai-api

• openai

• railway

• swift

• swiftui

• xcode

Try it out

•  GitHub Repo

•  GitHub Repo

•  unityyconnect.up.railway.app