Voices in Action: Safe Online Advocacy Lab Series

An interactive space to co-create advocacy tools, share insights, and strengthen Safe Online portfolio collective voice to create a digital world that is safe and empowering for all children and young people, everywhere.

The series is designed not as a webinar, but as a co-creation journey, where Safe Online grantees’ priorities, experiences, and ideas directly shape the advocacy tools, messages, and strategies we build together.

These resources provide evidence-based guidance on engaging philanthropy, technology companies, and Governments, and on framing the case for greater investment in child online safety. They build on the research and strategic narrative developed by Common Thread, a behavioural change agency, and have been adapted into a practical resource for Safe Online grantees.

Advocacy Lab Session 1

November 2025

Co-creating Advocacy for Collective Action

This first session brings together Safe Online grantees for a dynamic, hands-on conversation featuring three components:

Co-creating an Advocacy Capacity Plan: Identify key areas where support, tools, or peer learning could strengthen Safe Online grantees’ advocacy work.
Designing a Shared Narrative: Help us shape a new advocacy narrative and framing on Financing Safe Digital Futures for Children as part of the new strategic initiative – Safe Digital Futures – Invest in Children – Safe Online is convening with key partners.

Shifting Language, Shaping Narratives: An interactive session on how to apply the latest Lux Terminology Guidelines to foster empowering, survivor-centered advocacy, and avoid victim-blaming frames.

Advocacy Lab Session 2

February 2025

The Stories We Tell - Shaping Narratives That Move Systems and Markets

This session explores how to shape narratives that are accurate, responsible, and influential – moving beyond awareness-raising to shift incentives, mobilise action, and drive meaningful change. It brings together two complementary narrative perspectives:

Child Online Safety: A New Frontier of Opportunity for Business, developed by NSPCCand Baringa, which reframes child online safety as a source of long-term value, trust, and resilience for companies – beyond compliance alone.

Growing Up Safe, a new global guide developed by To Zeroand Spitfire Strategies, which challenges fatalism around childhood sexual violence and shows how strategic framing can centre prevention, shared responsibility, and solutions.

Advocacy Lab Session 3

May 2025

Inside the Funder Mindset: How to Craft a Financial Narrative That Resonates

Funders are not all the same; what resonates with one audience may fall flat with another. So how can you shape your financial narrative to speak directly to different types of funders?

In this session, Common Thread (a global team of behavioural scientists, communicators, and designers) brings participants inside the funder mindset, drawing on recent conversations with global funders and other actors. Expect practical insights, and actionable tips to help grantees move from a one-size-fits-all pitch to a more tailored and compelling financial narrative.

Participants have the opportunity to:

Unpack what drives funders’ decisions
Explore what they are listening for in a pitch
Show how you can adapt your financial narrative to meet them where they are
Run interactive exercises to show you how to use it in your own communications