Yubo's 2022 NGO Partnerships Recap

The countdown to the end of the year has officially begun and it's time for a 2022 recap!

We recently published a recap of all the 2022 product updates and our Yubo 2022 Wrapped (seriously, we still don't know why you choose to sleep in Lives). What can we say, we love recaps! In fact, if you haven't read them yet, check them out if you want to know what were the new features this year or to see if your favourite Live title was in the 2022 Top 5. 

So why a new recap you might ask? Because this one is a bit special. This time we’re taking you behind the scenes of Yubo. Every year, our teams design incredible new features to make your experience on Yubo unforgettable and, above all else, as safe as possible. 

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. We also have collaborated with some incredible organizations to support our users, help make Yubo what it is today and stand up for what we believe in. We know that by collaborating with important players across the industry, whether that’s other social networks, companies or NGOs, we will manage to create a truly safe online space.

So as the year comes to a close, we'd like to draw attention to all those amazing partners who have been with us in 2022 and helped us in our mission. You may have even seen them while swiping during one of our in-app campaigns!

Yubo x Safer Internet Day

Each year, Yubo participates in a number of events, but Safer Internet Day will always have a particularly prominent place, as it has become the landmark event when it comes to online safety. 

What is Safer Internet Day?

Every year since 2004, Insafe has organized Safer Internet Day. The aim of this day is to raise awareness among the youngest (and the oldest – everyone is concerned!) about the dangers of the internet and how to encourage responsible use. The internet is a valuable tool that can help you find your favorite bubble tea recipe, laugh until you’re literally gasping for air over a TikTok or even that niche meme that only resonates with you and your friends (yes, it does exist... no judgment here), but it is important to be armed with knowledge of the risks that you could encounter online too.

What did Yubo do for Safer Internet Day 2022?

For the third year in a row, Yubo has actively participated in Safer Internet Day. We believe that we have a responsibility to support our users in their use of the internet and to provide them with the right tools to identify potential harms or threats. 

The theme of the 19th Safer Internet Day in 2022 was "All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online." Yubo called on two of its long-standing partners to bring the right message to its users. Alongside Thorn (a US-based NGO that builds technology to defend children and young people from sexual abuse), Yubo shared their NoFiltr campaign with its US, UK and Canadian communities. This campaign included importants tips on what to do if you are a victim or a witness of online grooming, or if you need to reach out . If Yubo users have any concerns about their online safety, they can contact our safety team directly by tapping the shield icon then 'Report' in the Yubo app or text NOFILTR to 741741 (for US users). The aim was to remind users that they have tools that can help and protect them in these types of situations and that they should not hesitate to use these as a resource. 

A second campaign was shared with the French Yubo community, this time in partnership with 3018 e-Enfance. Yubo and e-Enfance have a long history of collaboration (you’ll learn more on that below) and Yubo wanted to be sure its users were aware of the new app E-Enfrance launched that allows people who are victims or witnesses of online violence (harassment, hate speech, sexual harassment) to report it, find resources to support them and safely protect their evidence. 

These campaigns have been seen by almost one million users across 4 different countries. You can already count on us to participate in the 20th edition of Safer Internet Day, which will take place on February 7, 2023.

Anti-Bullying Campaign in the Nordics

What is the Stiftelsen Friends NGO?

Stiftelsen Friends – also known as Friends – is a Swedish organization that is very involved in the fight against online bullying. They work to prevent bullying by developing resources for adults and young people, and by collaborating with hundreds of schools, pre-schools and sports-clubs in Sweden.

How did Yubo and Friends work together? 

The Nordic countries represent a large part of the Yubo community (if you've never spoken to them and would like to, don't hesitate to filter your lives by country to meet them). In November 2021, we shared a survey with the Swedish community to understand how to best support them when they are faced with bullying. Following this survey, Friends decided to publish the results of this study (and dozens of others by schools, leisure centres and sports clubs in Sweden) in May. They shared the results with all of its partners, which included important pieces of advice and some good practices they had drawn from it. We decided to share this information with our community on Yubo as well to make sure that Yubo users would have all the tools to handle or report problems around bullying.

National Bullying Prevention Month 2022

Where does National Bullying Prevention Month come from?

Since October 2006, PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center, along with the National Education Association, National PTA, American Federation for Teachers, and the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education have been organizing events, trainings, and activities during this specific month. The goal is to raise awareness among adults and children of the harms caused by bullying and to encourage them to stand up for each other. October is spent highlighting this problem that is more prevalent than ever before so that bullying can be addressed through education and support.

Who did Yubo decide to work with for National Bullying Prevention Month 2022?

At Yubo, protecting our users has always been a priority and bullying is not a behaviour that is tolerated on our platform. For National Bullying Prevention Month, we collaborated with the Diana Award, a UK-based NGO known for its commitment to anti-bullying, to drive awareness of the impacts of bullying both on and offline. Our US, UK, Australian and Canadian communities were able to swipe through tips and information by the Diana Award on how to protect themselves from bullies in order to have the best online experience. 

The collaboration between Yubo and the Diana Award is an initiative that we repeat year after year to ensure that the best up to date resources are shared with our users. However, this is not a one-shot campaign, we are fortunate to have Alex Holmes, Deputy CEO at the Diana Award, who works with us closely and advises us throughout the year on how best to tackle these issues. 

In France, we also collaborated with 3018 e-Enfance to promote their application, which allows anyone who is a victim or witness of bullying to take action.

3018 e-Enfance: a partner present all year round

What is special about the partnership with 3018 e-Enfance?

At Yubo, we want our commitment to be comprehensive and not limited to one awareness campaign per year during one specific month – bullying is an everyday problem. 

Yubo users can contact our Safety Specialists at any time to report any bullying or harassment and can now add up to 4 media to their report to give our team more context. However, these situations can weigh heavily on a young person’s mind, so since 2019 Yubo and 3018 e-Enfance have worked together in a unique partnership. In order to support young people who are victims of harassment or who are in psychological distress, users who report any form of harassment or suicidal behaviour are offered to be connected directly with a member of the Net Ecoute service (the free, confidential and anonymous hotline operated by e-Enfance) who will provide the support through a free chat or a call.

Creating a safer internet with the French Laboratory for Online Child Protection

What is the French Laboratory for Online Child Protection?

Last December, Yubo signed the Charter of the Laboratory for the Protection of Children Online set up by the French government. Initiated at the Paris Peace Forum and supported by the French President, this lab is intended to respond to the growing exposure of minors to pornography, harassment and violence online. 

The objective is to create a mutual dialogue between NGOs, companies and researchers to freely share their knowledge, best practices and expertise when it comes to protecting children online. The hope is that this will help the industry to develop new initiatives and continue to build on those that already exist to ensure more effective child protection. 

What will be Yubo's role in the Lab?

Alongside tech leaders such as Google, Meta, TikTok and NGOs specialized in child protection online, Yubo will participate in a think-tank to identify ways to regulate and better protect children online.

To this end, Yubo will participate in the Laboratory's research activities, taking part in the identification, selection and evaluation processes. Above all, Yubo is committed to taking into account the results of the Laboratory's experiments in the development of its safety strategy.

This collaboration is still in its infancy and we will surely have more information to share in the coming months. Follow us on LinkedIn to find out about our partnerships (it doesn't sound very cool, but you could be informed in advance about the next campaign on the app!).

—-----

This year 2022 has been rich in new or renewed partnerships. The organizations we work with are valuable allies and advisors in the implementation of tools, best practices and features on Yubo. We are fortunate to be able to count on their expertise and to work in tandem with them to make Yubo as safe as possible.