Anti-Bullying App Introduced to Key Biscayne

Jeff Irvine talks about his anti-bullying app, BridgIt, at the Community Center Dec. 11. (Maria Iriondo/Key News).

Last night, residents gathered at the Key Biscayne Community Center’s Lighthouse room to learn all about BridgIt, an innovative app that provides an interactive platform to stave off the dangers of online harassment.

When it comes to online bullying, BridgIt founder and president Jeff Irvine knows exactly what he’s talking about. A victim himself, Irvine used his own experience to kick start a tool to combat this type of malicious behavior, especially among those most vulnerable: teenagers.

Through the BridgIt app students, parents and teachers are able to connect thus fostering a path of communication that encourages positive behavior and peer support.

But how do you get everyone on board? Well, what does every kid in America likely have? A smart phone. The same device that creates social anxiety and feelings of isolation can be used to avert these epidemics by connecting the student to a place where he or she can privately reach out for help.

Having worked in Wall Street and software for a long time, Irvine is also an expert in risk management who has taken what he calls a “transactional approach” to gather the data to map behavior in real time and thus measure when things are going well for you; identify when things are getting worse in order to provide support, and using the right resources to change the direction and avoid a point of no return.

With suicide rates among 14 to 24 year olds growing at a rate of 10% every year, added to a staggering 9% of childhood depression in the United States, platforms like BridgIt are essential tools to keep students engaged at school — and they’re proving highly successful. Just recently, staff at a BridgIt school in New York were able to deter a teenage girl from committing suicide when a fellow student used the app to report her suspicions to teachers and administration. The school principal called the girl’s family and ultimately connected with the girl herself.

The goal is to use technology to quickly identify someone who’s at risk of hurting themselves. BridgIt can help by providing social and emotional support resources to the student community. “It’s about building interpersonal relationships,’ explains Irvine. “ So everyone has everyone’s back.” To encourage this supportive environment, BridgIt offers a points system based on ‘shout-outs,’ which provide peer-to-peer affirmation, keeping kids and teachers engaged in a positive way.

Key resident and former Miami Heat coach Tony Fiorentino will be lending a helping hand to BridgIt by getting players to publicly give shout-outs to different schools. “Once we get it going with the Heat, every other team in the NBA is going to want to do it,” says Fiorentino. “It’s going to take over the country, I guarantee you.”

As BridgIt partner William Foncham recited at the beginning of the presentation, there is no doubt that “your kindness can save another while it makes your heart whole.”

For more information visit www.bridgit.com.