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Engage young people in a language they understand

Zelos is an admin-supervised youth engagement app where participants can claim tasks, earn points, climb leaderboards, and coordinate.

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No credit card · No onboarding call · Set up in under 5 minutes

Zelos showing youth programme signup, points, and supervised group chat
  • Safe messaging
  • Points and leaderboards
  • Activity signup
  • Mobile-first
  • Admin oversight
  • Free with unlimited participants

You design the programme. Young people drive their own participation.

1

Post activities, missions, and challenges

Create programme activities with descriptions, deadlines, and point values. Set different scores for difficulty or importance. Publish to the full group or target specific cohorts.

2

Participants claim and earn

Young people browse available missions and sign up for what interests them. Completion earns points automatically. Self-selection builds ownership — they're doing it because they chose to, not because they were told to.

3

Leaderboards create momentum

Real-time standings show who's leading — by day, week, or programme period. Run individual competitions, team battles, or both. Visible progress makes engagement contagious.

4

Message safely, track everything

Every activity has its own chat channel with admin oversight. No unsupervised 1:1 messaging between participants. Coordinators see who's active, who's completing tasks, and who might need encouragement.

Illustration of team members working together

What youth programmes replace with Zelos

WhatsApp groupsInstagram DMsManual point spreadsheetsPaper attendance sheetsGeneric project management toolsEmail progress updates

Built for youth programmes, not adapted from business tools

Proven engagement boost

Admin-supervised messaging. No unsupervised 1:1 contact. No sharing of personal information between participants. GDPR-compliant and invite-only.

Safe by design

Admin-supervised messaging. No unsupervised 1:1 contact. No sharing of personal information between participants. GDPR-compliant and invite-only.

No training needed

If they can use TikTok, they can use Zelos. Mobile-first, instant onboarding, and an interface designed for digital natives — not repurposed from enterprise software.

Free for unlimited participants

Your whole programme joins free. No per-person fees. Points, leaderboards, and competitions are Included in every plan.

Illustration of a team handling a project together

Who uses Zelos for youth engagement

Youth empowerment and leadership programmes
Post programme activities as claimable missions — community projects, leadership challenges, skill-building workshops. Participants choose what interests them and earn points for completion. Coordinators track engagement in real time.
After-school and summer programmes
Organise daily activities, field trips, and group projects through a single app. Participants sign up for sessions they want to attend. Admin-supervised messaging keeps communication safe and visible to programme staff.
Scouting and outdoor education
Post badge requirements, hike preparations, and service projects as tasks. Scouts claim activities and track their own progress. Gamification adds a competitive layer that complements existing badge and rank systems.
Social enterprise and entrepreneurship programmes
Gamify the startup journey — market research, customer interviews, prototype testing, pitch practice. Teams compete on leaderboards while building real skills. Points reflect genuine programme milestones, not arbitrary badges.
Youth volunteering and service learning
Connect young volunteers with community service opportunities. Participants browse and claim projects matching their interests. Track hours for service learning credits, Duke of Edinburgh awards, or school requirements.
Summer camps and residential programmes
Run daily challenges, cabin competitions, and camp-wide missions through the app. Real-time leaderboards drive participation from day one. Counsellors track engagement without manual tallying.
National youth councils and networks
Coordinate activities across regions and chapters through one platform. Compare participation between chapters. Recognise top-performing regions and individuals at the national level.

What coordinators say about Zelos

Capterra

"Zelos really eased the challenge of how to gamify our youth programs. It is relatively easy to customize the customer journey and adjust different settings."

Merili G.

Program Manager

Education Management

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Capterra

"Zelos provides a way for our team to communicate with each other without having to disclose personal information."

Janelle R.

Volunteer Coordinator

Information Services

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Capterra

"Zelos was essential in our specific need to gamify our volunteers' experience. Very few users ever had questions about how to use the product or refused to join at all, so we got almost everyone on board."

Sandra Laura L.

Volunteer Coordinator

Performing Arts

Full review →

Free for youth programmes of any size

No credit card, no trial expiration. Pro starts at $99/month — never per participant. Points and leaderboards Included in every plan. Education and youth organisation discounts available.

Frequently asked questions

Is Zelos safe for young people?
Yes. All messaging requires admin oversight. There is no unsupervised 1:1 contact between participants. Participants cannot see each other's contact information. The platform is GDPR-compliant and invite-only.
Is gamification included on the free plan?
Yes. Points, leaderboards, achievement tracking, and team competitions are available on every plan, including free.
Can I customise point values for different activities?
Yes. Assign different point values based on difficulty, time commitment, or programme goals. Create a reward structure that fits your programme's objectives.
What age group is Zelos designed for?
Zelos is used by youth programmes serving teenagers and young adults. The admin-supervised messaging and privacy controls make it appropriate for programmes working with minors, with coordinator oversight.
Can I run competitions between teams?
Yes. Create parallel leaderboards for different groups, houses, or cohorts. Each group competes independently. Run individual and team standings simultaneously.
How do young people join?
Share your invite link via text, social media, or QR code. Participants follow the link, create a profile, and start browsing missions within minutes. No app download required.
Can I export engagement data for programme reports?
Yes. Export participation data, point totals, and completion records as CSV for funder reports, programme evaluations, academic credit verification, or internal documentation.
How is Zelos different from Google Classroom or ClassDojo?
Google Classroom and ClassDojo are built for academic settings — coursework, quizzes, and classroom behaviour. Zelos is built for activity-based programmes where participants choose and claim real-world tasks, earn points, and coordinate through built-in messaging. It's a participation and engagement platform, not a learning management system.
Can I run multiple programmes from one account?
Yes. Create separate teams for different programmes, each with their own participants, activities, and leaderboards.
Do you offer discounts for youth organisations?
Yes. Registered youth organisations and educational institutions may qualify for discounted pricing on Pro and Enterprise plans. Contact our support team with details about your organisation.
Team illustration

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Trusted by youth programmes in 40+ countries since 2018.