[Ansteorra] New Youth A&S Policy for Pennsic

[Stefan li Rous]

Various responses to this have been floating around the SCA lists today. So folks who see the responses without the original, here is the official rule and the explanation for it.  Hopefully, this will also serve as a heads-up for those taking children to Pennsic who may not be aware of this rule change.

Stefan li Rous

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "logan" <logan at ebonwoulfe.com>
> Date: July 6, 2010 12:52:26 PM CDT
> To: <trimaris-temp at yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: RE: [tri-temp] Disastrous New Youth A&S Policy for Pennsic
> Reply-To: trimaris-temp at yahoogroups.com
> 
> and this was posted on the pennsic university page:
> 
> New this Pennsic: no youth under the age of 18 may attend activities in an
> A&S venue without a parent or legal guardian.
> 
> Below is the open letter that was published on the Pennsic website.
> 
> An open letter to concerned Pennsic parents:
> 
> You may have heard there is a new rule in place that limits participation in
> A&S classes at Pennsic University to adults. This means that minors (anyone
> under the age of 18) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when
> attending classes in A&S tents.
> 
> Let me first make it clear that this is a Pennsic 39 rule, not a
> Society-wide rule nor is it due to any sort of decision by the SCA, Inc.
> This rule was effected by the agreement of the Pennsic staff involved,
> specifically for Pennsic 39. The Society standard is that children under 12
> must be in line of sight of a parent, for youth 12 and over there must be
> one or more unrelated adults present if a parent is not present. Those rules
> still apply for Pennsic in general. The rule that parents or an appointed
> guardian must be present with minors applies only to Pennsic University A&S
> classes.
> 
> Let me also assure you that any non-University class activity designated as
> being "for youth"--activities such as the Children's Fete, the Known World
> Teen Party, anything held at Youth Point, all youth martial and boffer
> activities on the Battlefield--has appropriate teacher/volunteer supervision
> such that parental presence is not required. Likewise this rule does not
> apply to general Pennsic public activities such as battles, public
> performances in the PAT, Dance tent balls, and Games tent activities. For
> such activities teens (13-18) do not need parental supervision; in all
> venues outside of classes in A&S tents, the general Pennsic rules for
> supervision of minors applies.
> 
> This year all classes appropriate for youth (from small children through
> teens) are currently under the supervision of Youth Point and appropriate
> teachers/volunteers are handling these. Not all are inside the Youth Point
> area, but all are listed in the Pennsic book. Please check the Youth
> sections of the Pennsic Book for appropriate activities for your minor
> children.
> 
> We do also welcome youth attendance at Pennsic University A&S classes that
> their parents deem suitable, but to assess that suitability the parent or
> appointed guardian really needs be present. As the Cultural Affairs staff
> does not have the resources to age check everyone attending A&S activities,
> we are relying on parental discretion when allowing children to attend or
> participate in classes at Pennsic.
> 
> I do understand and apologize for the hardship this rule presents to teens
> and to parents. Please understand this is not the first choice of the
> Cultural Affairs staff nor of the Pennsic University. Rules are generally
> made for a reason; usually because someone has abused a system in the past.
> The reasons for this rule come out of multiple incidents in A&S classes and
> in the Society in general dealing with children and youth. We hope to have a
> better solution for all concerned in the future, but as of now we do not
> have the staff or resources to fix current issues and so we are relying on
> parents to provide supervision of their minor children in A&S tents.
> 
> I understand the anger and the frustration many of you may feel because of
> this rule. I write this letter in hopes to address some of that frustration.
> You are always welcome to contact me personally (
> <mailto:culturalaffairs at pennsicwar.org> culturalaffairs at pennsicwar.org), but
> please be aware that due to the current flood in my inbox I may not be as
> prompt in answering you as immediately as you would like. I will also be
> available at Pennsic to speak to anyone who wishes to discuss ideas for
> youth activities within the Pennsic University tents.
> 
> Please use common sense and be aware at all times of where your minor
> children are and with whom they are associating.
> 
> Your in Service,
> 
> Mistress Chai
> Deputy Mayor for Cultural Affairs, PW 39