Safety-by-Design Training and Grand Challenge, Philippines
National Models for Women’s Safety Online (NMWSO)
📅September 3-5, 2025
📍 Metro Manila, Philippines
🕗 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM daily
📌 Deadline to Apply: August 29, 12PM PHT
About the Training and Grand Challenge
The National Models for Women’s Safety Online (NMWSO) initiative invites Philippine-based tech professionals and organizations to submit Expressions of Interest (EoI) for a unique opportunity to join a 3-day, in-person Safety-by-Design (SbD) training workshop, followed by a hackathon-style Grand Challenge.
The training will take place on September 3–5, 2025, in Metro Manila (exact venue to be confirmed).
This hands-on, participatory workshop will introduce practical, survivor-centered, and trauma-informed approaches to building safer online platforms, especially in addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). Participants will learn how to integrate Safety-by-Design (SbD) principles into digital product development, ensuring that user safety, dignity, and rights are embedded from the outset.
“Safety-by-Design means building online platforms and technologies with user safety and rights at the core, and designing features, policies, and systems that anticipate risks, empower users, and promote accountability from the start.”
While inspired by the Australian eSafety Commissioner’s framework, this NMWSO SbD training is customized for Philippine tech SMEs, taking into account the country’s distinct digital landscape and regulatory context.
Participation in the full 3-day training is required in order to qualify for the NMWSO Grand Challenge. Those who complete the training will have three months to develop and submit a tech solution or prototype, with ongoing access to mentorship and over-the-shoulder code review from NMWSO trainers and experts.
The most promising submission(s) will be awarded a cash prize and formally recognized during a showcase and awards ceremony in November 2025.
Who Should Apply?
We are inviting representatives from Philippine commercial tech platforms, tech startups, and key digital stakeholders to apply. This includes (but is not limited to):
- Software Developers
- Product Managers
- UI/UX Designers
- Software Engineers
- Trust & Safety / Content Moderation Teams
- Policy and Regulatory Affairs Professionals
- Government Regulators and Digital Policy Actors
- Tech professionals involved in platform safety, innovation, or user protection
If you or your organization designs, builds, or governs digital tools or platforms, especially those reaching public audiences, this workshop is for you.
Note: Only applicable for those based in Metro Manila.
Why Join?
Participants will:
- Gain a strong foundation in Safety-by-Design (SbD) principles and understand how to apply them in the Philippine digital context
- Learn practical tools to identify risks, co-design safer products, and embed inclusive, user-centric, and trauma-informed features
- Recognize and assess key online harms, particularly Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), and apply risk mitigation strategies across the product development lifecycle
- Apply SbD principles to real-world design decisions, explore how to foster a safety-first culture within their teams, and engage users through ethical and participatory co-design practices
- Map and integrate safety checkpoints throughout the development process using risk assessment tools and proactive safety mechanisms
- Prototype safer digital features and anticipate harms related to emerging technologies like AI, VR/AR, and IoT, with follow-up opportunities for design iteration and mentorship
- Strengthen their capacity to build safer, more ethical tech for all users, especially women, children, and vulnerable groups
- Grow professionally by gaining new skills, exposure to safety approaches, and access to mentorship from safety and tech experts
- Join a dynamic peer network of Filipino tech professionals and organizations working collaboratively to create safer, more inclusive digital spaces
Meals, materials, accommodation, and local transportation support will be provided to selected participants.
Post-Workshop Opportunity: Join the Safety-by-Design Challenge
After completing the training, participants will be invited to join the NMWSO Safety-by-Design (SbD) Challenge, a hands-on opportunity to put their learnings into practice!
Whether you’re building a new digital product or improving an existing one, the Challenge offers a platform to embed safety features, design for user trust, and demonstrate your commitment to ethical and inclusive tech.
Winners of the SbD Challenge will:
- Receive a monetary award of up to PHP 80,000 – PHP 100,000
- Get targeted, expert feedback on your product or feature from safety and tech mentors
- Gain visibility and recognition for your solution at a public showcase
- Receive an official Certificate of Completion for the SbD training for your professional portfolio
- Contribute to the creation of safer, more inclusive digital ecosystems in the Philippines
More details and submission guidelines will be shared during the training.
How to Apply:
To register, please complete and submit this application form (click the link below) by August 29, 12PM PHT. We will carefully review all applications and select up to 30 participants who best meet the eligibility criteria and program goals. A maximum of two representatives per organization may be accepted.
For questions or clarifications, please email us at: nmwso-ph@developmentgateway.org
About NMWSO
The National Models for Women’s Safety Online (NMWSO) is a multi-country initiative supporting survivor-centered and cross-sector approaches to reduce digital harms. It focuses on strengthening digital safety ecosystems through collaboration with the tech industry, civil society, and government stakeholders in the Philippines and Kenya, using frameworks such as Safety-by-Design.