Facebook has announced the launch of the Facebook Community Leadership Program, a global initiative that invests in people building communities. The platform will commit tens of millions of dollars to the program, including up to $10 million in grants that will go directly to people creating and leading communities.
In addition, Facebook introduced new tools for group admins and the expansion of the company’s London-based engineering team that builds technology to help keep people safe on Facebook.
Making this announcement was Jennifer Dulski, Head of Groups and Community, and Ime Archibong, Vice President, Product Partnerships Facebook, at the Facebook Communities Summit Europe today.
More than 300 community leaders from across Europe came together today in London including Blind Veterans UK, an advocacy organization that provides practical and emotional support to blind veterans and their families; Donna Mamma, a support group for mothers in France to share advice and information; Girl Skate UK, which celebrates and brings together the female skateboarding community; High Society PL, a group of sneaker enthusiasts who bond over their shared passion; and Berlin Bruisers, Germany’s first gay and inclusive rugby club.
Facebook Community Leadership Program
Community leaders often tell Facebook that with additional support they could have more impact. The Facebook Community Leadership Program is designed to empower leaders from around the world who are building communities through the Facebook family of apps and services. It includes:
- Residency and Fellowship opportunities offer training, support and funding for community leaders from around the world.
- Up to five leaders will be selected to be community leaders in residence and awarded up to $1,000,000* each to fund their proposals.
- Up to 100 leaders will be selected for Facebook’s fellowship program and will receive up to $50,000* each to be used for a specific community initiative.
- Community Leadership Circles bring local community leaders together to meet up in person to connect, learn, and collaborate. Facebook piloted three circles in the US in 2017 and will be expanding globally this year.
- Groups for Facebook Power Admins, which Facebook currently runs with more than 10,000 group admins in the US and UK, are expanding to more members to help them share advice with one another and connect with our team to test new features and share feedback.
Applications are now open for the residency and fellowship. To learn more and apply, visit communities.fb.com
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New Tools for Group Admins and Members
Group admins want to keep their communities safe, organized and engaged. Today Facebook added four new features to support them.
- Admin tools: Admins can now find member requests, Group Insights and more together in one place, making it easier to manage groups and freeing up more time for admins to connect with members.
- Group announcements: Group admins want to be able to more easily share updates, so Facebook is introducing group announcements to let admins post up to 10 announcements that appear at the top of their group.
- Group rules: Keeping communities safe is important. Now admins can create a dedicated rules section to help them effectively communicate the rules of the group to their members.
- Personalization:Â Each community has its own identity – now admins can add a personalized colour that is displayed throughout their group.
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Expanding London Engineering Team for Community Safety
A team of engineers across the globe builds technologies that help keep Facebook’s community safe and secure. London is home to Facebook’s largest engineering hub outside of the US, and by the end of 2018, the company will double the number of people working in London on these issues.
Facebook’s engineering work on community safety includes the following:
- Detecting and stopping fake accounts:Â Working to make sure Facebook is a community of people who can connect authentically with real people.
- Protecting people from harm: Reducing things like harassment and scams that can happen in the real world and on Facebook, by building better tools to spot these issues and remove them.
- Improving ways to report content: Making it easier for people to give feedback about things that shouldn’t be on Facebook, which works in conjunction with the platform’s automated detection.
People find meaning and support in community, online and in person. The programs and tools Facebook announced today are designed to help the admins who lead these communities to grow and strengthen bonds among members. The platform is inspired by these leaders and look forward to continuing its efforts to support them.
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Downloads:
·         Groups Features Stills
·         Groups Features Videos
·         Facebook Community Leadership Program B-roll
·         Keynote Videos
About FacebookÂ
Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what is going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them. Facebook has 2.07 billion monthly active users and 1.37 billion daily active users on average worldwide and 10 million daily users and 22 million monthly active users from Nigeria
About Red Media Africa
Red Media Africa (www.redmediaafrica.com) is the PR & Empowerment Marketing division under the parent brand, RED.
It focuses on using inspiration, empowerment and action to help brands and organisations connect with their audiences, enhance their bottom-lines, and lead in their industries.
It has 6 major practice areas: Corporate Practice, Technology Practice, SME Practice, Governance Practice, Faith Practice and the International Practice – with work for brands across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
It has been recognised with multiple local and international awards including the Gold SABRE Awards for PR Campaigns and the Young Lions PR competition for the next generation of creatives.