A persistent problem for all-time, loneliness and disconnectedness has been elevated as a concern to a great extent in today’s world. As the pandemic has continued to maintain the status quo of advised isolation for safety reasons, the issue of feeling isolated has been taken to new heights. This is the problem that the 29 year old Karen Dolva has sought out to solve.
Dolva’s initiative “No Isolation” has aimed, since its inception in 2015, to tackle this issue head on. No Isolation specifically targets those who, as her company calls it, have had “involuntary loneliness” inflicted upon them, whether by COVID19 or some other circumstance. Dolva’s company offers a small but developing line of products and services to combat loneliness in unique and creative ways.
Two products in particular, No Isolation’s “KOMP” and “AV1,” target specific types of this involuntary social isolation. The “KOMP”, shown at right, is tech that aims to simplify the common tablet, so to speak, by providing an easy-to-use interface to allow perhaps older generations to communicate with their younger counterparts. With simple messaging, photo-sharing, and easy-to-access video calling technology, folks that might not be as up to speed on the functioning of the complex new tablets and gadgets of our day can easily reach family, friends, or neighbors without taking the time or exerting the effort on new, often unnecessarily complicated-to-use technology.
No Isolation’s “AV1 (at left held by Dolva),” on the other hand, targets the opposite generation: school-age children with conditions that prevent them from attending classes in person. This isolation, of course, can lead to feeling not entirely part of class community – a serious issue for an age group that needs social interaction a great deal. This robot-resembling device, according to No Isolation’s website, provides an “…avatar that makes it possible for children and young adults with long-term illness to take part at school via an app on their phone or tablet.” With this stroke of genius, Dolva is empowering children who otherwise would have missed vital social interactions with their peers to be involved in the social and academic happenings of the classroom.
Whether this “involuntary loneliness” be due to the current global pandemic or for other reasons, Karen Dolva’s brilliant entrepreneurial initiative is undoubtedly bringing family, friends, and the like closer together.