How Iava Created A Lifesaving Online Community For Veterans

Background:  IAVA’s Community of Veterans (COV) is a social network exclusively for Iraq and Afghanistan vets. Inside the community, veterans connect with one another, share their experiences, receive support and get access to critical resources and special offers.

Program background:  Community of Veterans (COV) has become a robust social network helping thousands of veterans with their transition home. Of the 2.5 million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, 20% have screened positive for PTSD or depression, and 19% suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Evaluation Methods and Results: Mr. Hansman will discuss key insights among returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan that lead to the planning and development of the IAVA Community of Veterans. He will also discuss the results including how over 25,000 veterans have joined the community, which has become a critical tool for connecting veterans who are often geographically dispersed and might otherwise experience feelings of isolation and loneliness. 

Conclusions: Veterans are a unique audience where peer-to-peer communication and interaction is key to building trust and fostering engagement in an online community, particularly as it relates to the hardships of transitioning back into civilian life.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Mr. Hansman will discuss the need for and development of the community, including unique challenges associated with a community exclusive to Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Mr. Hansman will also share learnings on what’s resulted in the greatest successes and the metrics used to measure traffic, and some amazing, life-changing success stories.