Digital Community Champions Program

Training for Building Safe and Inclusive Digital Spaces

Facebook community and crime groups can often be the first place people turn to when they need help or want to share important information about their neighbourhood. These groups play a vital role in keeping communities informed and connected by sharing updates such as:

• real-time traffic conditions,
• severe weather alerts,
• CCTV and dashcam footage
• suspicious behaviours in the area
• reports of potential criminal activity,
• warnings about scams, and
• information to help locate lost or stolen items, including pets and even missing people. 

Behind the scenes, these groups are managed by dedicated volunteer administrators and moderators. They work hard to keep the groups running smoothly by managing misinformation, calming heated discussions and ensuring members feel supported and safe. Often, they do this without any formal training or support, making their efforts even more commendable. These groups are a valuable resource for building safer, more connected communities. 

About the program

The Safer Together: Digital Community Champions Program is designed by Queensland Police Service’s specialist Digital Intelligence and Community Engagement (DICE) Prevention team in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The program sits under the umbrella of the nationally recognised ‘Safer Together’ initiative, and is complimented by the Community Safety Champions program.

The program provides ‘Training for Building Safe and Inclusive Digital Spaces’ which was co-designed with valuable input from over 300 Facebook community and crime group administrators and moderators across Queensland. By sharing their real-world experiences and challenges with researchers from UTS, they helped shape the training to ensure it is practical, relevant and easy to apply.  

After a successful pilot in 2025, the Queensland Police Service is now expanding the program to include 100 additional participants in the first enrolment, which is set to commence after Easter 2026.

Purpose of the training

This Training for Building Safe and Inclusive Digital Spaces is designed to support Facebook community and crime group administrators and moderators by providing them with evidence-based skills and resources to more confidently manage safer, more supportive and credible online communities.

The training empowers participates to play an active role in community-based crime prevention by:

• addressing neighbourhood issues online in real time,
• sharing accurate and credible information,
• minimising harm within their communities, and
• promoting safety and resilience.

Want to participate in the Safer Together: Digital Champions Program?

To express your interest, please complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) form.

 Expression of Interest Form

Enrolment for the first 2026 training intake is limited to 100 participants. To be eligible, participants must meet the criteria outlined in the Expression of Interest form and training guidelines. 

Contact us

If you would like more information about the training, please email the DICE Prevention team.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for the training?

We are looking for community-minded Queensland residents who:

• are over the age of 18,
• are an active administrator or moderator of a Queensland-focused Facebook community or crime group,
• are interested in community safety,
• are interested in sharing QPS-endorsed community safety information, and
• share the values of QPS in supporting community safety in online spaces.

What’s involved in the training?

If your expression of interest (EOI) is successful, you will be asked to complete a short survey and invited to join the training hosted on the UTS Open online platform.

• The training takes approximately 4 hours to complete.
• You will have access to a beginner and an advanced module.
• You do not have to complete the training all at once.
• You can access the training at your own pace
• You can apply the training immediately and at your discretion, it’s entirely up to you.
• Downloadable resources and a tool kit are included in the training.
• You will have access to the training platform for 12 months. However, to receive a UTS certificate of completion, you will need to complete both modules within 3-month of enrolment and answer a short evaluation survey. These surveys are important, as your input helps us to improve and expand the training in the future.

The training is designed to be flexible, with no mandatory hours and minimal time commitment. The training content and resources can be accessed at your own pace and at a time that works for you.

What are the benefits of the training?

Some of the training benefits you can expect, include:

• Gaining valuable knowledge and skills to build your confidence in promoting online community safety and crime prevention.
• Expanding your connections with QPS and fellow Facebook administrators and moderators.
• Supporting your community in a meaningful way, feeling empowered as a local change maker, by helping to create safer and valuable online community spaces.
• Enhancing your capacity to effectively engage and support your online community in supportive community safety conversations.
• Enhancing your digital literacy skills.
• Receiving a UTS certificate of training participation.

How do I share information and resources?

There are no expectations as to how or when you apply the training or share the resources. How you chose to engage with your community group is entirely up to you.

The training content and resources are supplied with guidance to support you.

Once the 3-month training evaluation period is over, you will still have access to the training platform, content modules and resources to continue learning and sharing with your online community.

Access to the training platform ends 12-months from the date of enrolment.

What if I don’t have time to use the training and resources?

The training is designed to be flexible and supportive. While we encourage participants to engage with and apply the content and resources, there is no requirement to do so within a set timeframe.

The program provides you with tools, knowledge, and QPS-endorsed materials that you can tap into when you need it. You will have 12 months access to the training and resources to support online community safety when the time is right for you.

How do I join the training?

Simply complete the Expression of Interest to get started. Once your application is reviewed, if approved, you will receive further information about accessing the training.

Once registered, you are free to withdraw at any time.

What do past participants say about the training?

Hear from past participants about their experience with the Safer Together: Digital Community Champions ‘Training for Building Safe and Inclusive Digital Spaces’

• "I think all of it was a good refresher for me, particularly the part about identifying who would be a good fit, who would make a good moderator…”
• “Look, anyone who's thinking about starting any kind of Facebook group or online space, I would encourage them to do it… doing the course made me realise that, well, you know, this actually is a really serious job, it's not just a matter of starting a group and letting people go for it. There are responsibilities.”
• “…hats off to the co-designers, I thought it was really thorough. It covered all of the basics that you need to know, it's got everything there…. there was resources in there for you to be able to expand on your knowledge as well if you wanted to do that in a particular area. So I think it was really well done.”
• “I think the whole programme was great… In most cases, when I applied things I had learned, the way people in the group responded was different… I actually had people thanking me in the comment sections.”
• “My favourite topic was ‘navigating abuse & harassment’ as that is usually a challenge for moderators.”
• "I think the information provided supports moderators. Each and every group is different so not one size fits all. Great ideas were provided.”
• “It’s ideal for new people [moderators], but I certainly wouldn't rule it out for some that have been doing it for years, because they're the ones that get so wrapped up in what they do and then occasionally you get back to these basics and you go, ah, yes, that's right. Yeah. I should. I should be doing that. It's a good reminder.”

This training forms part of the QPS Safer Together initiative and the companion Community Safety Champions program.