By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on January 19, 2024 to note that Good Night Out did not create the #NotMe app, but worked with app founders to implement it in the Vancouver scene.
Content warning: mentions of sexual assault.
An app has entered into the Vancouver nightlife and hospitality scene that provides a new way for partygoers to anonymously report sexual harassment and misconduct in entertainment spaces.
The #NotMe app is a way for individuals to have a safe, anonymous place to report their experiences with safety concerns or harassment. The app was brought to the Vancouver scene by not-for-profit Good Night Out in partnership with the City of Vancouver. The app was originally created by “Ariel and Sarah Weindling in the US as a response and solution to the #MeToo movement,” according to Good Night Out Vancouver.
Good Night Out considered “various methods for victims to share their stories, [ . . . ] and reached out to the #NotMe founders about bringing the app into their “Last Call” partnership with the City of Vancouver.”
Stacey Forrester, education director of Good Night Out Vancouver, shared more details and information about the #NotMe project and their organization.
Good Night Out Vancouver is a BC-born non-profit organization operated by a board of directors and a team of volunteers. The society offers educational workshops on the prevention of sexual violence occurring in nightlife and hospitality spaces, including restaurants, bars, festivals, nightclubs and more. The goals of Good Night Out are preventative care and effective response. This includes working with local partners to increase their capacity and knowledge in responding to assault.
The app’s development started in 2019, dawning when the City Council of Vancouver began investigating options for increasing awareness and addressing sexual violence within the nightlife and hospitality industries. Good Night Out was part of the conversations on handling these situations alongside other community industry stakeholders.
The project is starting in three hospitality areas in Greater Vancouver. For Forrester, the hope is that the pilot project will report positive responses from staff and patrons of hospitality areas. Any report made on the #NotMe app will be confidential and will only be read by Good Night Out staff. The app will collect information on where, when, and how the act of harassment occurred. An anonymous chat function is embedded in the app for users to receive staff reports and feedback, if needed.
The app will provide users with further information and resources, whether someone reports an incident or wants further knowledge on their next steps. The information available includes low-cost options for counselling services, organizations that provide legal services and counsel, regulations in workplaces regarding sexual misconduct and harassment, how to file a report with the police, and access to nurses who deal with sexual assault incidents.
Sexual assault remains one of the most under-reported crimes. “Over the years, Good Night Out has found that victims are even less likely to report incidents of things that they feel are ‘less severe’ on the spectrum of sexual violence and/or things that society has generally justified as ‘not that bad,’” said Forrester. They hope this pilot project will aid in researching how to fill in the gaps that have not been addressed or paid attention to in regard to sexual assault cases.
Good Night Out recognizes there is a lot to accomplish still when it comes to resources and addressing these concerns. “We know that the hospitality industry contains so many of the risk factors associated with sexual violence: a gendered and racialized workforce and tip-based compensation. From a patron perspective, we have the addition of alcohol, the fact that protections around their well-being are often left out of policy, and prevention training is considered optional.”
To connect with Good Night Out Vancouver on the #NotMe app, use the PIN 5239 for the Metro Vancouver area. The #NotMe app is available for free download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
