"Sit with Us"

Imagine that you are standing with your foam tray full of chicken nuggets, 2% milk, fruit cup, whatever the vegetable of the day is, and wondering where you are going to sit. The cafeteria can be a very intimidating place for any student, staff member, or volunteer; let alone a student that has transferred in mid semester.

October is Anti-Bullying Awareness Month. I know that many school districts will be wearing orange on Wednesday October 19th to promote Unity Day. Many initiatives are promoted in schools by adults, I felt it was important to research what are students doing to address this ever present problem proactively.

I ran across an article that shared this wonderful concept called Sit with Us. The application was designed by a teen that had experienced bullying in middle school, and wondered where was one area that could be addressed to promote more inclusivity. She felt the cafeteria/ lunch room would be an excellent choice. She designed the application to encourage students to sign up and take the Anti-bullying Pledge and become "Ambassadors". These ambassadors would create an "Open Table" and other students would be able to select and sit with them. The application has drawn great attention and accolades for it's forward and positive thinking (see video).

The school where I work now would benefit from an application like this. The high school cafeteria has four lunch periods and multiple grades eating together in each of them. This could encourage students to break down the barriers and awkwardness that create stress and anxiety on a daily basis. I can even foresee the ambassadors using time to speak with the students about what is going on in school, to be more proactive in addressing the concerns students may not feel they can express.

I almost always see adults pushing the agenda more towards addressing these very difficult issues. It is reassuring that this young lady has taken the initiative to do something more towards bringing students together.