About the Program
Project Override is a high school student club program provided by the Organization for Social Media Safety, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the first and only consumer protection organization focused specifically on social media users. The Organization works across four primary sectors: advocacy, technology, research, and education. The final branch, education, is the most directly related to this program.
We provide interactive presentations to students and parents across the country, educating them on the foundations of social media safety and providing critical skills and vocabulary to navigate their own experiences. Project Override was developed as an extension of this initiative, allowing communities to continue their facilitation of social media safety principles long after our presenter leaves the building, using our evidence-based curriculum to build connection, community, belonging, and a norm of safety.
This is a student-led club program intended for grades 9 through 12. Leaders will curate their chapter’s year using an extensive bank of activities from four categories:
- Discussion & Debate
- Creativity & Production
- Community Engagement
- Peer Learning & Mentorship
The Peer Learning & Mentorship category requires coordination with a younger cohort of students. We recommend a middle school from the same district to ensure meetings can be facilitated regularly. Our other categories include activities which may extend into the broader school community, bringing key principles to non-members for their reflection and consideration.
Clubs will have direct access to the Organization’s staff for support throughout the year, as well as additional resources to facilitate deeper learning. A faculty advisor will also serve as an intermediary between chapters and the Organization, supervising club activities and supporting any administrative requirements. Each month, clubs will build their programming from thematically focused resources: activities in all four categories, plus further reading and resources.
Launch Process
Who to Recruit
You’ll want to look for motivated, mission-aligned peers who are excited to work together to make social media a safer place for your community. These should be students who you can expect to take initiative and lead. Use the Flyer and Letter to Student Leaders to share information about the program to prospective founding members. The minimum number of students needed to start a new club depends on school or district requirements.
Why It’s Required
We require a Faculty Advisor to supervise and facilitate club activities throughout the year and liaise with both the Organization for Social Media Safety and your school administration.
What to Look For
You’ll want to recruit a faculty member who you’ll be excited to work with throughout the year, who you can turn to for advice and guidance, and who will be interested in the topic of social media safety.
How to Approach a Potential Advisor
When you’ve identified a faculty member you’d like to work with, ask to speak with them privately before or after class or school. We’ve included a Letter to Advisors, but you should be prepared to explain a few key elements in this initial conversation, including:
- What the Organization for Social Media Safety is
- What Override is
- How you think the program will benefit your school community
- What their role will include
If they have any questions, walk them through the Launch Guide or direct them toward socialmediasafety.org to learn more about the organization.
Advisor’s Role
Your faculty advisor is there to assist your club in its student-led activities. They’ll facilitate activities as needed, assist with certain administrative tasks, help coordinate with school administration when necessary, and serve as mandatory reporters to ensure all club participants remain safe throughout the year.
Introductory Call
Schedule an initial meeting with your founding team of students and chosen Faculty Advisor. If possible, include a school administrator to keep them in the loop.
Submit Registration
Once we’ve held an initial conversation, your Faculty Advisor will proceed by completing the 2026-2027 Registration and submitting it to carys@ofsms.org.
Get Recognized by Your School
Work with your faculty advisor and administration to complete any requirements for Project Override to be recognized as an official club at your school. We’ve included a Letter to Administrators to help explain the program and how it may benefit your school community. You may reach out to your point of contact at OFSMS for any additional coordination necessary. Recognition is an essential step to facilitate events, aggregate funds, and recruit members.
Review Requirements & Expectations
Review the Chapter Bylaws Template, Code of Conduct, Political Campaign Activity Policy. Once elected, the Executive Committee will complete the Chapter Bylaws and Political Campaign Activity Policy, and the Faculty Advisor will retain the final version. Every club member will complete the Code of Conduct and submit it to the Faculty Advisor. OFSMS does not collect any of these documents.
Identify Recruitment Opportunities
Many schools host a club fair at the beginning of each year, and advertise their clubs through mediums like newsletters, morning announcements, classroom visits, etc. Identify the most effective recruitment mediums in your school community and strategize how to get your message out. Once registration is confirmed, chapters will be provided branding materials to create recruitment collateral such as flyers and posters.
Hold the First Three Meetings & Elect the Executive Committee
We’ve created agendas for the first three meetings of the year to help get things started and provide some guidance for your Faculty Advisor to lead until the Executive Committee is elected in the third session.
Set Your One-Year Goals
Define what success will look like for you in your first year. Aim for realistic, community-specific goals. Perhaps you want to facilitate connection at lunchtime off of phones, perhaps you want to create a norm around reporting cyberbullying situations, perhaps you want to create an anti-hate campaign at your school.
Schedule Your Meetings
Decide how often your club will meet. We recommend ideally two to four times per month, but if that is not feasible, once per month will suffice. Your club should meet on a consistent schedule so members know what to expect.
Plan Your Year
Use the Run of Year, Activity Bank, and How to Plan Your Year resources to curate your programming based on the planned frequency of your meetings. Each month you will be provided at least four activities to choose from. Plan based on a reasonable expectation of the time and effort available at different points in the year. For example, you might choose lighter activities around midterms or finals.
Recordkeeping Expectations
Your club Secretary should keep detailed records of your programming throughout the year, minutes at meetings, and key decisions, to assist with leadership transitions and help the club improve each year. The Faculty Advisor will retain certain confidential documents or documents that carry year-over-year, such as the registration document, completed student codes-of-conduct, and the completed political campaign activity policy.
What to Expect Throughout the Year
Monthly Executive Meetings
Once per month, the Organization for Social Media Safety will host virtual meetings for Executive Committee members from all clubs across the country, allowing the network to touch base and share ideas. Each club’s President and Vice President are required to attend (unless they are not available, in which case they should notify their point of contact at the Organization), but other Executive Committee members, such as the Treasurer, Secretary, and Marketing Manager, are invited to attend as well on an optional basis. Each meeting will be recorded and distributed to the club network for review. Faculty Advisors should also attend, but may be sent a recording if they are unavailable.
Semi-Annual Reporting
Aside from Registration, the Executive Committee will be required to submit two reports about club membership and activities to the Organization: one in the winter and one toward the end of the school year. This information allows our team to evaluate our club program and make improvements based on the experiences and feedback of your club, and to show off all of the incredible work you will have done for our community. These reports are required to maintain Club’s Good Standing status and to continue benefiting from the Organization’s resources and support.
Asks to Share
Throughout your year, you will complete numerous activities creating various artifacts that reflect your unique club. To allow our organization to stay in the loop, learn from your work, and appreciate your efforts, we will ask you to optionally share these artifacts with our team. Sharing of this work is entirely voluntary, and we encourage you to discuss your decision about whether to share it with the Executive Committee and club members.