BraveSpace wins Rep. Jahana Hayes’ 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Connecticut’s Fifth District

When asked what inspired the creation of BraveSpace, the student said, “My inspiration to create BraveSpace stems from a personal and painful experience with bullying. I have had numerous encounters with bullying throughout my life and it started at a very young age, but the one instance that I remember well occurred in 9th grade. I joined the school golf team, but a fellow golf team member made me feel extremely excluded and uncomfortable. It was unrelenting to the point that the best thing for me was to quit. She called me rude names, spread rumors about me, and even made me hate the sport that I have loved my entire life and have played since the age of 6. Even though my parents have always fully supported me and would have done anything to ensure my safety and well-being, I just could not find the strength in my voice.  I felt unsupported in my school environment and had no immediate emotional support during the traumatic event. I didn’t know how to process those feelings, which left a lasting impact on my mental well-being. It is through these traumatic experiences, I realized the need for a space where kids can express  and process their emotions, document difficult situations, and find support and guidance to find their inner voice and let it project outwards. 

I wanted to build BraveSpace to help others through challenging times, allowing them to write about their experiences privately. The journaling feature is central to BraveSpace because it allows kids to process what they are going through and track their emotions over time. The ability to record and process experiences in real time would have helped me better understand and cope. I also wanted to include a chatbot feature, which I designed to provide an empathetic and supportive response. Hence, kids never feel alone, even when they struggle to open up to others. My goal with BraveSpace is to offer kids a way to document their feelings and receive emotional support in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Many times, I was looking for comfort and not solutions. By addressing these specific needs, BraveSpace aims to provide the support system I wished I had during my own experience with bullying.”