[Ansteorra] bad things

[Daralynn Brittain]

I agree.  And having worked with an organization similar to your wifes, I 
can say this.  There are places out there to get help.  We helped people 
understand what happened to them and how to deal with it.  We also taught 
that revenge is a bitter pill, and it is much better to help solve problems 
then create more by lawsuits.  We, the SCA, are not a difficult organization 
to work with.  Better to help the SCA combat this problem then try to 
assuage any guilt by suing them.  Being part of scouting and school 
organizations, I have been fingerprinted, back ground checked and taken 
psych exams.  They help.  They are not the total cure.  We, as an 
organization, need to take proactive steps to make sure our children are 
safe.  Safe from predators and safe from themselves.

I take my responsibility as a wife, mother and friend seriously and  to make 
sure the children I interact with are safe and happy.  Everyone I have met 
to this day in the SCA think the same way.  We just need to be alert and 
make sure this does not happen again.

Best regards,

Elspeth



>From: "Mike Wyvill" <wyvillmike at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." 
><ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
>To: ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org
>Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] bad things
>Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 18:58:09 +0000
>
>First of all I have no problems with background checks. I personally have
>been going through several every year as a Scouter since 1994. I have held 
>a
>number of positions in the BSA and alway tell parents to read the booklet
>(How to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse: A Parent's Guide) that is
>included in their son's handbook. The BSA requires that the parent and son
>go through it together. In fact in most states someone in my position 
>within
>Scouting is required by law to report suspected behavior, just as a teacher
>or doctor would be. Its something that I take very seriously. But even the
>BSA recently had their head of Youth Protection arrested for being part of 
>a
>child pornography ring.
>
>Having said that, any organization that does anything with children and
>doesn't insist on two deep, non related leadership is asking for trouble.
>And the Buddy System for children certainly helps as well. As far as the
>checks go, sure we might not find anyone, but it would be a proactive step
>rather than a reactive one. You can't tell a molester by looking at one, 
>and
>if they do not have a police record, then nothing probably would be 
>revealed
>by a background check. My lady wife used to work as the office manager for 
>a
>group that counsels abused children and abusers. She can tell you they come
>in 'all shapes and sizes' and can have 'enablers' who would rather lie than
>face the awful truth that someone they care about could be a predator. You
>just have to make sure rules are in place and strictly followed. I just
>tried to read the East Kingdom's manual for children and I cannot get it to
>open. I wonder if they are amending it now.
>
>Some of us in the Stargate/Westgate/Gates Edge area have been invited to at
>least one Cub Scouting event. I look at this as a recruiting opportunity.
>But we have to make people with children feel safe and wanted in the
>Society. My own experience with the Society and children has not been an
>entirely pleasant one. It took me 20 years to talk my wife into trying it
>again after she and my then 15 month old son were ill treated at an event.
>Children are a part of this organization and hopefully these same children
>will help lead it into the future as adults. We need to put safeguards into
>place now.
>
>As for the situation in the East, from what I have read and knowing that
>hindsight is 20/20, I would not have placed my children in that position. I
>agree that the parents are looking for someone to blame but the bulk of it
>rests on their shoulders. They are the parents. Its like when a parent 
>tells
>us that they are bringing their child to Scouting to make him a man. We 
>tell
>them its his job, not ours. We will try to make him a stronger person, a
>more creative person, a more well rounded person. But ultimately the
>responsibilty for any child belongs to the parents.
>
>Lord Engenulf de Vienville
>
>
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>Ansteorra mailing list
>Ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org
>http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/ansteorra-ansteorra.org

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