At a restaurant table, a family of five sits in silence: five plates, five glowing screens and zero conversation. It’s a scene that has quietly become the new normal, but for 11-year-old sisters Lisette and Leonie Kalra and their mascot Professor Juju, it sparked an idea: Westport Smiles.

Rather than rejecting technology, the twins decided to turn the very thing contributing to disconnection into a bridge that brings people together by creating an AI powered app that tackles loneliness.

“We realized loneliness was the biggest problem,” Leonie said. “People of all ages feel it.”

The idea behind the app is simple: users upload or take a picture of anything, and the platform generates ideas for acts of kindness or ways to connect with others. For example, a photo of a teddy bear might inspire a toy drive, and an image of a computer suggests providing online tutoring to classmates. This encourages users to see objects not just as things, but starting points for conversation and compassion.

While building the website, the sisters experimented with numerous programs, including some of their own designs, before ultimately deciding to use Streamlit and Open AI. They were initially inspired by the Presidential AI challenge, which prompted participants to create a solution to a problem within their community with the use of AI. In March, Lisette and Leonie were announced as the Connecticut middle school champions for their work. Since then, Westport Smiles has become a non-profit organization and the twins’ primary goal is improving the user experience and website.

“We want to make it easier to find resources,” Lissete said. “For example, for a donation drive the app can list organizations or centers that are looking for that specific type of donation.”

The project recently expanded beyond screens through a collaboration with the Westport Country Playhouse production of “Primary Trust,” a play centered around loneliness and the impact of small acts of kindness.

“The impact of many small acts of kindness changed Kenneth’s [the protagonist’s] life,” Leonie said.

Audience members lingered after the show, sharing stories about isolation and how difficult making connections can become with age. A caretaker from the Norwalk Senior Center even took multiple flyers to bring back to residents that could benefit from the app’s mission. The sisters noticed how hesitant visitors were to initially approach their table, despite it being run by two middle school girls encouraging kindness, reflecting a larger sense of guardedness between people today.

The twins are already thinking beyond their own community. Along with improving the app, they are writing a children’s book about kindness and empathy by encouraging the next generation to be more open with each other and help combat issues like bullying in schools. While currently Westport Smiles, the twins hope to become America Smiles and then eventually World Smiles

“Kindness can change the world,” Leonie said. “Or at least someone’s life in a really big way.”

This story was originally published on Inklings on May 15, 2026.