NEST is a free, open source toolkit that anyone can adopt, adapt and use for whatever social purpose you think it's appropriate for.
It could be a party, picnic, club night, family reunion or other in-person space; or it could be an online environment like a Facebook group or internet forum. NEST can help to ensure that everyone is having a good time... and know what to do if someone isn't.
NEST sets the boundaries for what’s acceptable (and what’s not) at your social gathering or for your social group. It helps people understand what to do just in case anything goes wrong, and gives support to those who experience something they’d rather not have going on. Full details of what it says, how to use it and examples of what it can help with can be found on this website.
We aren't social care professionals, though we have consulted some in developing this set of guidelines. We created this to use in our own social settings, but thought it might help others, so we are making it available online here. We can't take responsibility for anything in this toolkit, so use at your own risk.
We always recommend you seek the help of a professional counsellor or other advisor before diving headlong into any uncharted social territory. However, we understand that's not always possible, so we hope that our framework will help in some way.
We have designed NEST specifically for informal social gatherings rather than professionally organised events. If you’d like to use NEST for an organised event, feel free to use NEST as your starting point, and check out our FAQs for links to further resources.
Who made NEST?
NEST was created by a group of friends who wanted to ensure a safer, better night out with their mates. There's no company or organization behind it, and no money in it. We're simply a bunch of normal people who want to make the world a more fun place to be - for everyone.
If you'd like to get in touch, you can use the form below to send us an email (please be aware it may take some time to get back to you as this is managed on a voluntary basis).