Safecity Monthly Updates – June 2023

Safecity is committed to creating safer communities for everyone. Our goal is to empower citizens by helping them understand the potential risks they could face in different neighbourhoods. We can do this by sharing our experiences or others anonymously and make these stories available for all. The platform serves law enforcement agencies with information on sexual harassment and other crimes occurring in public and private spaces. The platform’s data helps keep public spaces safe by enabling authorities to keep track of incidents and prevent sexual harassment in the future.

Share our newsletter with your family, friends and colleagues.

 

Proud Moment for Red Dot Foundation

Vaibhavi Maske, Program Manager represents India at the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly in Kenya.

“My visit to Kenya began on a positive note when I attended the UN Habitat Assembly as a member of an ECOSOC-accredited NGO in early June, from Red Dot Foundation. Engaging in discussions with various individuals allowed me to witness the remarkable efforts of organizations and individuals dedicated to providing safe and inclusive housing worldwide. These moments reaffirm my belief in the transformative power of change, even if its impact may not be immediately visible.

Additionally, I had the privilege of working with our Kenyan ground partner organization, Polycom Development, and was deeply moved by their work within the Kibera community. Connecting with the passionate volunteers of Polycom, who facilitate access to Safecity for the people of Kibera, was an enriching experience. During my visit to a school in Kibera, I was thrilled to see young children eager to join forces with us in creating safe spaces.

I am grateful for these profound experiences, as they allowed me to embrace diverse cultures while working for the same goal of safer, inclusive and sustainable spaces for all.” – Vaibhavi Maske

 

Gender Sensitive and Inclusive STEM Leadership Program – Red Dot Foundation and Ramboll

Through the STEM leadership program, Red Dot Foundation aimed to train and mentor 50 young women from marginalized sections of Delhi NCR.

This program was designed to build the capacity and leadership skills of young women to pursue a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

As we wrap up the project, here’s what some participants had to say:

“My mentor told me all the steps and options to achieve the field which I had chosen. He told me the scope of this career field. He answered my every doubt even if he had to do a lot of research for that. He is such a humble person and motivated me in each meeting.” –  Shadma

“I felt like there was somebody to listen to me and I am not alone in the journey of my career. Session on Environment and Global warming attracted my attention so much that I talked about it to my family members.” – Geeta

“My decision-making ability and time management skills were enhanced through the STEM mentoring program. The mentoring program helped me to design my goals smartly and plan well. Training sessions were related to my previous experiences. Just a week before the bystander intervention session, my friend shared with me a sexual harassment incident which happened with her on a bus. She shared that although people saw her getting harassed, no one came to help her. Through the session I got to know how we can intervene in a case of street harassment.” – Kalpana

“There was a lot of space for us to ask questions. We could ask anything in training sessions as well as in mentoring meetings. In initial meetings, I used to get nervous and shy but in the last mentoring meeting, I was the one who was speaking most in conversation.  In each mentoring meeting, my mentor used to talk about a specific topic. One of the most attractive topics was the use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector. My mentor suggested to me a site where I could ask any question and get answers. My mentor taught me how to get proper information about a topic on the internet. I would say that we should be curious. Be curious to learn new things.” – Himanshi

“Some training sessions were very exciting, informative and engaging. Participants were giving a lot of input. It was a 2-way communication where the trainer and participants interacted a lot. The very first session of the program made me very excited for the next coming sessions. I learned about 5 ways to be safe and make people safe. I regret that I could not attend a few sessions due to network issues in my area.” – Kirti

(Image shows plants grown by Neha in plastic bottles)

“The Horizon of looking at my dreams broadened through this program. I got to know so many career options which were totally new for me. Mentoring program gave me exposure to many fields which I hadn’t heard of before. In the era of technology a new scenario has emerged and hence new career opportunities have come up. Mentoring program made me think beyond the conventional fields of study.” – Neha Pandey

Nasra was inspired by the Masterclass on Environment, especially the part on waste management. She then began to make reusable, handmade cloth bags.

 

Safe, Inclusive, and Diverse Campuses in Goa & Maharashtra (Rainbow Circles) & LGBTQI Safe Campuses in Karnataka – Australian Consulate-General in Mumbai & Chennai

Red Dot Foundation is proud to partner with the Australian Consulate-General in Mumbai & Chennai to offer our dynamic training program with colleges to address the ongoing discrimination and stigma faced by the LGBTQI+ community by creating diverse and inclusive campuses.

Project Timeline – 1st July 2023 to 31st March 2024

The program is for students (above the age of 18), faculty, and administration, in colleges in Goa, Maharashtra & Karnataka.

Five students from each college will be nominated by the institution, and trained in a leadership course by Red Dot Foundation. The student will also be facilitated to host interactive activities like movie screenings, discussions, collection of data on the Safecity platform, etc. We will actively engage through 3 workshops of 2 hours each and 1 workshop for the staff covering various aspects of gender and sexuality, challenging unconscious bias, and understanding legal frameworks and remedies/resources available under the laws.

All participants of the training, students as well as the teaching and administrative staff will receive a certificate of participation at the completion of the project from Red Dot Foundation and the Australian Consulate-General in Mumbai & Chennai respectively.

Join us to make your campus safer and more inclusive. Our training is an interactive experience and participants will learn the techniques of intervention through participation.

To book your sessions in Goa & Maharashtra write to [email protected]; [email protected]

To book your sessions in Karnataka write to [email protected]; [email protected]

 

beliEVE

ElsaMarie D’Silva speaks to Priya Hingorani, a leading Delhi-based senior advocate and activist.

Listen to the episode here!

 

What’s happening in August?

 

Democracy Week & Gender Alliance Week

The 4th edition of Democracy Week has arrived for the first time in a hybrid format!

This year we aim to encourage discussions and actions that highlight the crucial intersection between gender and democracy.

You can participate from anywhere in the world by organizing activities or events in your country as part of Gender and Democracy Week.

You can register here to participate as an organization or institution!

 

Meet a Member of our Team

Our dynamic legal eagle – Program Manager, Vaibhavi Maske

Vaibhavi is a lawyer. She holds a degree in Bachelor of Arts and L.L.B. (Honours) from Gujarat National Law University. Vaibhavi’s area of expertise is gender, law, and technology and her areas of interest are social justice. At Red Dot Foundation, Vaibhavi has trained more than 3000 people on laws on gender and has encouraged people to identify and report gender-based crimes and be responsible bystanders. She has run community intervention programs to design hyperlocal solutions for communities with students of law, criminology, data science, urban design, city planning, architecture, and social studies. She recently represented the organisation at the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly in Kenya. She seeks to facilitate and empower communities into safer spaces for women from marginalised castes and religions, queer communities, and children by working with them on studying the issues on the ground and then devising innovative solutions for the same.

Vaibhavi is also a musician and an artist by heart. She goes by the alias Maskerade and performs satirical songs in her one-woman musical. Maskerade has done more than 25 live performances in the past two years. She believes in the power of melody and rhythm that brings people together to understand each other better. She also enjoys reading plays, exercising and cooking for her family and friends.

 

SafeCirle

SafeCircle is a secure, trusting space for survivors of violence and abuse. This is a non-judgmental listening circle for survivors to share their experiences, learn from others and know that they are not alone. You are invited to join us, on zoom, in sharing and learning in SafeCircle.

This is a space only for people who are survivors of any kind of abuse in their lives. We are facilitating a safe community space where we can seek to find solutions through sharing, listening and offering insights. Kindly note that it is not a therapy session or an SOS solution.

We cordially invite you to join these sessions. They are held in English and in Hindi languages. Once you register, our team will reach out to you with details such as the time and date of the SafeCircle.

Please fill in this form to register!

 

Key points to understand through data – June

Reports collected Globally for the month of June 2023.

Click here to see the Safecity Data Dashboards.

 

Safecity Reporting Platform

Safecity is a platform as a service product that powers communities, police and city government to prevent violence in public and private spaces. Our technology stack collects and analyses crowdsourced, anonymous reports of violent crime, identifying patterns and key insights. This data enables citizens, researchers and policymakers to create safer spaces by:

• Increasing awareness, transparency and public accountability
• Improving policy and tactical precision with data-led insights
• Optimising budgets to more effectively allocate resources

Get in touch if you want to be a Safecity partner: [email protected]

Report an incident on Safecity Platform
Download Safecity App on iOS Devices
Download Safecity App on Android Devices

 

Upcoming Events

• Safety Champion Fellowship 2023
• Safecity Twitter Chats & Spaces

Red Dot Foundation Events on Twitter every Wedenesday…..do join us!

 

Recap of our Tweetchats:

“Challenges Faced by the LGBTQIA+ Community & Allyship by Society” with Vrushali Kadam. Check out the recap here.

“Inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Community in the Workplace” with Sqn Ldr Delshad Master. Check out the recap here.

 

Recording of our Twitter Space:

“Sexual and Reproductive Health & Sexual Autonomy of Persons with Disabilities” with Priskila Arulpragasam & Bijal Lal. Check out the recording here.

 

Ongoing Projects

• DEI & LGBTQ+ Inclusion on College Campuses – Maharashtra & Goa
• LGBTQ+ Safe Campus Project Karnataka
• Women in Motion – Axis Bank
• #SheLeadsHere STEM Leadership & Mentoring Program
• Stand Up Against Street Harassment
• Youth League for Safer Cities
• Vital Voices Training
• She Is – Women in Chemistry