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Safety Guidelines

Strict safety practices for communication and reporting issues for both mentors and mentees.

We enforce strict communication and safety guidelines because the platform connects adults with younger individuals. All users must follow these rules to maintain their accounts.

Proper Communication

  • Keep it Professional: All communications should remain strictly professional and focused on mentorship, learning, and career development.
  • Use the Platform: We strongly encourage all messaging and video calls to take place through our platform rather than exchanging personal phone numbers or social media accounts.
  • Appropriate Language: Use respectful, inclusive language. Profanity, harassment, discrimination, or any form of inappropriate conversation will not be tolerated.
  • Respect Boundaries: Respect each other's time and privacy. Do not pressure anyone into sharing personal information they are not comfortable with.

Guidelines for Mentors

  • Maintain Boundaries: As an adult interacting with youth, you have a responsibility to maintain clear professional boundaries at all times.
  • Transparency: Keep conversations transparent. If a mentee shares something concerning regarding their safety, you must report it immediately.
  • Focus on Guidance: Your role is to guide and advise professionally, not to act as a counselor or friend.

Guidelines for Mentees

  • Protect Your Privacy: Do not share sensitive personal information (like your home address, school schedule, or financial details).
  • Trust Your Instincts: If a conversation makes you feel uncomfortable, you have the right to end it immediately.
  • Involve a Guardian: We encourage you to keep your parents or guardians informed about your mentorship sessions.

Reporting an Issue

If you encounter behavior that violates our guidelines or makes you feel unsafe, please take the following steps:

  1. End the Session: If you are in a meeting, you can leave immediately. You do not need to provide an excuse.
  2. Do Not Respond: Stop all communication with the individual.
  3. Report Immediately: Contact our safety team by emailing safety@informally.app or using the reporting tools built into the platform. Provide as much detail as possible, including date, time, and the nature of the issue.

We review all reports promptly and take appropriate action, which may include permanent removal from the platform.