SafeWord
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8
November 28, 2016
Susan Azzopardi
Hamilton Spectator
44 Frid Street
Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3G3
Dear Susan Azzopardi,
Due to the influx of dating applications, many residents of Hamilton have the ability to use their anonymity to commit acts of sexual harassment and assault. This has become a major issue in Hamilton because it provides a different way for existing offenders to take advantage of Hamilton citizens, particularly young McMaster and Mohawk students. We are a group of concerned McMaster students who have come together in order to create a safe, secure, and inclusive dating application, exclusive to McMaster and Mohawk students. This was accomplished through our affiliations with the Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton and Area (SACHA), Student Walk Home Attendant Team (SWHAT), and McMaster App Development.
Our mission is to provide McMaster and Mohawk students with a safe, secure, and inclusive alternative dating application. The application includes security features that surpass similar applications and is affiliated with outer resources such as the Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton and Area (SACHA) and Student Walk Home Attendant Team (SWHAT). SACHA is involved within the creation and use of SafeWord as a counselling and education team for its users. SACHA is also a resource for our staff, helping us to continue to update our built in safety features. SWHAT is a volunteer committee within McMaster University that helps walk students home. We have teamed up with them to provide our users with a safe way to reach home. SWHAT is able to walk or drive users anywhere within Hamilton, which is very beneficial to users in dangerous situations.
We have composed this letter in order to ask for your help in gaining the attention of McMaster and Mohawk students. There is a pressing need for a safe way to meet other students while avoiding the dangers of online dating. Our application fills that demand while also providing a fun way for McMaster and Mohawk students to meet each other and socialize. We are having a launch party for the application at TwelveEighty, the McMaster campus bar, on December 5th from 6-9pm. We would appreciate your support in getting word of this application to McMaster and Mohawk students, and in turn, helping to ease the dangers of navigating online dating.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
The SafeWord Creators
Safeword 