LIFE

Wishing you could find a new friend to eat with in the caf tomorrow? Turns out, there's an app for that. After a year of lonely lunches and being teased, 16-year-old Natalie Hampton decided she had had enough and created the "Sit With Us" app, which launched September 9th in the Apple store. With school starting up and National Bullying Prevention Month (October) just around the corner, it couldn't be more timely.

The app allows you to sign up as an "ambassador" and post if you and your friends have an open table, meaning anyone is welcome to come sit down. You can also request to join a table in advance, and the best part is that interactions are private, so students don't have to worry about feeling embarrassed using it.  

"Sit With Us" is a great tool for students who are new to a school or who are just plain shy. But it's more than that, too. It's a chance for the teens who *do* fit in to take a stand against bullying and accept their classmates, no matter what clique they're in or what their social status is. Natalie says, "Sit With Us was born because I am committed to making sure that other kids don't suffer as I did. I believe that seemingly small, incremental changes in the overall dynamic of a school community can bring about change, so that everyone feels welcome and included."

Get involved by signing up to start a Sit With Us chapter at your school or join the @nobodyeatsalone movement on Instagram. 

What do you think of the new app? Would you use it? Let us know below!

by Amanda Tarlton | 9/16/2016