Our project

We came up with this because sometimes people feel worried, lonely, or anxious, but they might not want to talk about it, or they might feel too nervous to talk about it.

If we are at school and my friend is having a hard day, but she doesn’t want everyone to know she can press a button on her Buddy:bit and I will get a sad face on my Buddy:bit. Then I will know to go over to her and check if she is ok, or I can let the teacher know that she is upset. All the other kids will not know that it happened because it's our code, its only between us. Or sometimes I have to go to places with my mum and dad and the places are very loud and a bit scary. If I feel overwhelmed and need to go outside for some air, I can press my Buddy:bit and my parents know that I need to leave for a few minutes. It means I don’t have to say it in front of everyone.

We live in a very rural area and some of our neighbours are old and living alone. If they have an emergency, they can call the guards or press their emergency bell. We came up with the idea of the Buddy:bit so that my neighbour can press the button on their watch and a heart appears on my Buddy:bit, so I know I can call them for a chat, or I can call over to say hello.

Our inspiration

We wanted to do something for all the children who came to our country from Ukraine and from other countries that were at war. They did not know the language so they were very worried in class and couldn't really talk to each other, so we thought the Buddy:bit would be a way they could communicate until they learned our language.

First we met with and interviewed the Ukrainian parents and interviewed them to find out what they felt their kids needed. We live in rural Tipperary in Ireland, and our neighbours can be elderly and lonely. We decided to design a watch that will let my neighbour send me a code to let me know that they would like to have a chat.