EdTech We Love
It’s that time again. We’re talking about EdTech we love! This is one app that is sure to pull at your heartstrings. At the beginning of the school year, 16 year old Natalie Hampton released her app “Sit With Us”.
An End to Bullying
A native of California, Hampton created the app in response to harsh bullying she experienced in middle school. Natalie describes how during her 7th grade year she was not only verbally abused, but she ended up eating lunch by herself almost everyday. The bullying had such an effect on her that she felt a responsibility to help other students going through similar situations.
Introducing “Sit With Us”
That is why she created “Sith With Us”, an app the connects students in the lunch room. “Ambassadors” can invite people to sit with them for lunch or can post an “open lunch” where anyone is welcome. The process, Natalie says, is completely private. Students looking for somewhere to sit simply open the app and they are immediately matched with an ambassador. Nobody has to know they’ve used the app at all. Instead, students always have company in the lunch room and are even able to make new friends.
Hampton’s inspiration came after she switched schools and began a regular practice of always inviting someone who was sitting alone to eat with her. She believes, “that seemingly small, incremental changes in the overall dynamic of a school community can bring about change, so that everyone feels welcome and included” (Natalie Hampton, Founder/CEO of Sit With Us, Inc.). Her hopes for “Sit With Us”, is that it removes the risk of public rejection and prevents others from being labeled as social outcasts. So far the app is doing just that!
We hope this app keeps having a positive impact on students and gets used in more and more schools. We are in awe of Natalie’s idea and her compassion for students experiencing bullying. What an amazing 16 year old!
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