Staying safe

BattleBraids Sisterhood exists so that two people going to the same race can help each other. That means meeting someone you have not met before, usually in a city neither of you lives in, usually the day before something you have trained months for. Here is how to do that well.

Before you meet

• Meet in a public place, or an official race venue.
• Tell a friend or family member where you are going and when.
• If something feels wrong, leave. You owe nobody an explanation.
• Keep your address and full name to yourself until you are comfortable.
• Ask before touching anyone's hair, every time, and stop when asked.

What we keep private, and until when

Before you both agree to connect, another member can see your display name, your photo if you added one, your short bio, your languages, the rough area you gave, when you are free, and what you are asking for or offering. That is all.

They cannot see your email address at any point, nor your private practical notes, nor any reference photo of your own hair, until you have both said yes. Your exact meeting place is something you two arrange in the private conversation, never something the app publishes.

Braiding and your hair

A braid that is too tight can hurt, can damage your hairline and can give you a headache for the whole race. If it hurts, say so straight away. If someone tells you it hurts, stop and loosen it. Nobody here is your hairdresser, and nobody is being paid.

Ask before you touch someone’s hair, every single time, including when you have already started. Hair is personal in ways that vary a great deal between people and cultures.

Blocking and reporting

You can block or report anyone from their profile, a match card, a conversation or a party. Blocking is immediate: you disappear from each other’s matches, any open request closes and any conversation between you ends. The person you block is not told.

Reports go to a moderator, not to the person reported. We may not be able to tell you what happened afterwards, but every report is read.

What we do and do not do

If something goes wrong

If you are in immediate danger, contact the local emergency services. In the European Union and the United Kingdom that is 112 or 999. Then, when you are safe, report it here so that we can act on the account.