We’re incredibly excited to announce that we won the White House Apps Against Abuse Challenge!

The White House #AppsAgainstAbuse challenge is an initiative spearheaded by Vice President Joseph Biden and his #1is2many campaign to end sexual assault and abuse on college campuses.

The idea behind this app is based on our experiences and conversations when screening The Line on college campuses. One of the very positive aspects of student living is the close proximity and the tightly-knit relationships that can spring from that. The app highlights this, and shows how important close community and relationships are in the fight to prevent violence.

Circle of 6 works by programming the contact information of five friends and creating a “Circle of 6”, an application to be taken advantage of in case of an uncomfortable situation or emergency. It is equipped with GPS coordinates, mobile messaging, and in two simple steps, anyone can quickly and efficiently contact a friend and alert them to their situation—raising awareness around and ultimately preventing sexual violence.

This app was created in collaboration with Deb Levine of ISIS-Inc, Christine Corbett Moran, and our long-time friend and design collaborator, Thomas Cabus, who has worked with us on both The Line Campaign and our latest film xoxosms.

The app will be available to download in January. In the meantime, take our pledge on Facebook, stay tuned for updates and follow us on Twitter @Circleof6app.