[Ansteorra] Yputh issues was Re: Bad things

[Elizabeth Crouchet]

The SCA and the Kingdom of Ansteorra already have many rules and
policies in place about how are youth are to behave and what is expected
and required of their parents and what the youth are allowed to do.

There are several problems with this. First the parents have to read
them, all of them and understand them. The second is they have to find
all of them to read them. The local officers must do so as well and then
they need to enforce them consistently.

This all seems reasonable but it really takes study and dedication to
find it all and many official questions to understand it.

These rules may be found in the Society rules in the areas of 
Participation, participation in combat activities, minor waivers and
some others. Also in the kingdom rules under the Seneschal, the MoC, the
various Youth Combat sections, Rules of the Lists, Waivers and others.
Also, the MoC handbook and the Seneschal handbook, various rulings from
Kings Roundtable, various ruling passed along in email to and from
various officers and in many other places.

I know, I have tried to track it all down and just when I thought I had
it all figured out I had more questions I still need answers to.

This is not an easy topic to get answers on. That may be one of the
biggest problems we have is a lack of a single coherent set of policies
that apply to minors.


As I understand them we do have some policies that make it all work better:
Not all youth need to be accompanied by an adult at all times. Our
policies allow teenagers to care for and supervise younger children
while at events. This never relieves the parents from responsibility for
their children nor does it remove the requirement that the minors behave
appropriately.
All SCA sanctioned youth activities must have one adult sanctioned to
run the event and one unrelated adult present. Minor care givers do not
count for that but are always welcome to assist with those activities.
Combat activities for minors have some stricter requirements but again,
the parents are responsible for their child's safety.
The SCA policies require parents to be responsible for their children
either by their direct presence or by making appropriate arrangements.
The SCA is not responsible for providing those arrangements but we
should be able to work with those arrangements.
Baby sitters are allowed as long as the parent is on site but The SCA
does not provide babysitters.
Minors may attend events without their parents as long as their parents
have made the appropriate arrangements. And that involves a designated
Responsible Adult and some paperwork, multiple paperwork, I think I
finally got that figured out but it is not as easy as it should be either.

This is all nearly straight forward for events and fighter practices. At
a fighter practice two adults can teach a youth class in plain site of 
everyone present.  A single marshal can give a youth one on one
instruction as long as another adult is designated to keep an eye out.
Most things that happen at large events happen in the open where we can
all see each other.

However, Guild meetings and Workshops are a real gray area. Bottom line,
parents need to check out what it is, who is there and who will be there
the whole time and how many youth will be there. Make sure the adult to
youth ratio is comfortable. Ask if it is an official activity and ask
how they intend to meet SCA policies if it is. If the parent will not be
present then the adult that is directly responsible for that youth for
that activity needs to be clearly designated.

I have no children but I do work with older youth. I have taken
teenagers to events without their parents. Those were individual
arrangements made between myself and those parents with the paperwork
the SCA would accept that allowed me to take the parent's place at an
event. The SCA only accept the fact that the parents has delegated that
responsibility to me, not sanctioned that I had the SCA stamp of
approval to be alone with any minors.

This is complex and the SCA is a wonderful place to raise a child where
they can in many ways be allowed some freedoms to learn from and grow.
We can treat our older youth much like we would treat any other adult
but still maintain a removed but watchful presence. I am convinced that
is how young adults, even those that had been declared to have reached
their majority in period would have been handled.  But just because they
are allowed to 'roam free' at an appropriate age does not relieve
anyone, parent or child of the responsibility for the behavior and well
being of those youth.

If you have any specific questions about the SCA and Ansteorra's
policies I suggest you read up on them. If you need help finding the
appropriate materials (and you probably will) ask the MoCs and the
Seneschals and the Youth combat marshals for help in finding those
policies. And please ask questions about what is all means. With enough
questions and answers I am sure we will start to see some clear
consensus and guidelines emerge.

I have rambled enough,

Claire
KYRM


Ian Dun Gillan wrote:
> Now that this thread has an opportunity to stop being personal conjecture 
> and is now turning in a better direction I have something to say.  Thank you 
> to Don Robin for the redirect, and thank you to Burke and Ivo for following 
> along with that.
>
> Children are truly precious and we need to do everything we can to protect 
snip