DIGITAL MEDIA POLICY

In order to ensure the health, safety, and success of M2Y students, volunteers, and staff, this Digital Media Policy sets forth expectations and standards for digital interactions that M2Y volunteers and staff have with students and others.

ONLINE CONDUCT

M2Y volunteers and staff must communicate online appropriately, professionally, and respectfully, just as M2Y would expect them to communicate if they were present in person. Profanity, sexualized language, jokes, images, or communications about adult topics, drugs, or alcohol, are never appropriate when working with students of any age, whether it be in written communications, streaming video, or otherwise over the Internet.

It is expected that volunteers’ online interactions with students are strictly related to the role of a business mentor. M2Y volunteers and staff must limit their communication with students solely to official M2Y-administered or M2Y-sanctioned platforms, and meetings and other interactions with students on a one-to-one basis should be avoided. Volunteers and staff should not “friend,” “follow,” “add,” “accept,” or privately correspond with students online or through any digital channel, including via text, e-mail, or any social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. Any online misconduct or conduct that falls below the standards expected by M2Y can result in immediate and permanent dismissal as an M2Y volunteer.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONDUCT

All online actions, including on personal social media accounts, should be presumed public. Followers may record or take screenshots, making even private communications and accounts—and even deleted posts—susceptible to being shared publicly.

The only social media interaction with students should occur through an M2Y-administered social media platform as part of an M2Y program and with the consent of students’ parents. M2Y volunteers should not communicate with any students through any platform not directly controlled by M2Y. Admins, editors, and account holders of M2Y social media accounts must keep all personal social media separate from the M2Y social media profiles they manage.

FACTUAL CONTENT

Information can spread quickly online and can easily be misinterpreted or taken out of context. Any posts that reference M2Y or link to an M2Y website should reflect M2Y in a positive light and include only accurate public information.

PHOTO USE

Taking unauthorized photographs/videos of members or participants, guests, volunteers, students, or children is prohibited. M2Y volunteers and staff should refrain from sharing these photos/videos, whether on personal social media accounts or otherwise. If pictures are needed for JA’s website, flyers, social media, etc., they are to be taken by designated/approved staff only and must be accompanied by a signed photo release form to be kept on file.

M2Y VOLUNTEERS WHO POST OR MANAGE “OFFICIAL M2Y PROFILES"

Any online platform, website, or social media account used by M2Y volunteers or staff for M2Y promotion or for M2Y-related communications is an "Official M2Y Profile." As the exclusive property of Mentor2Youth, M2Y will retain all Official M2Y Profiles when the volunteer/staff associated with the profile ends his or her relationship with M2Y for any reason.

Two or more M2Y volunteers/staff must have access to “admin” status on each Official M2Y Profile. Each M2Y volunteer/staff who manages or has access to Official M2Y Profiles will provide the username and password to the social media profiles to the local M2Y office.

M2Y volunteers/staff agree to cooperate in good faith with M2Y to ensure that M2Y has the ability to access and control all Official M2Y Profiles. Any M2Y volunteer/staff who reasonably suspects misconduct related to social media or any violation of this policy must report these suspicions immediately to the appropriate local M2Y representative.