[Ansteorra] So, how do we keep our children and the SCA safe?

[Stefan li Rous]

Arthur said:
<<< I hope this incident doesn't  make people less willing to have  
children's activities, or look at all children as nothing but  
potential problems, and especially in the area where this happened, 
( although they could have or may move anywhere in the world )  I   
really hope it doesn't make people paranoid about the people with kids  
( are they the ones ?? ) >>>

As with waterbearing, should the SCA disassociate themselves from  
children's activities? As I understand it, the reason that  
waterbearing became an unofficial, non-recognized activity in the SCA  
and all formal waterbearing offices removed, was so that the SCA could  
say they weren't responsible for providing water to fighters or making  
sure it was safe and that safe practices used.

Perhaps the Minister of Children offices should also be dissolved and  
removed from our governing documents?

That might be best for the SCA legally, but I think it would be worse  
from the parents and the children's perspective.

At one time I published the following article:
SG-SCA-Youth-art  (10K)  6/22/09  "Survival Guide for an SCA Youth" by  
Lady
                                      Gormlaith Bebbin Kathleen  
HRothgarsdottir.

However, it caused an uproar because the fact that certain bad things  
might happen at SCA events and that while SCA youth should be warned  
about such activities, mentioning that possibility cast the Society in  
a bad light. Eventually I withdrew that article by request of the  
author because of the social pressure she was under in her own kingdom.

I thought that this article was particularly important because it was  
written by someone who was recently an SCA youth. (I think she was 20  
when she wrote it). I felt that while our youth might simply brush off  
warnings from us older folks, that they might pay attention this young  
lady. Although most articles in the Florilegium are read by only a  
minority of those in the Society, I like to think if such articles had  
been available back in 2001, perhaps this sickening assault might  
never have happened.

Perhaps Lady Gormlaith might be persuaded to let me re-publish her  
article, perhaps with some of the passages toned-down. Or perhaps  
someone else would be interested in writing such an article aimed at  
our youth.

We have always been a Society that did things because one or more  
people thought they needed to be done. Not because the BoD or some  
rule somewhere said we had to do something. What can the general  
populace, including the parents do, to make sure that this never  
happens again?  I don't think we should leave this solely up to the  
BoD. Even more so, I don't see how burying our heads in the sand and  
saying that it isn't a problem and it won't happen again will fix  
things, either.

<<< but at the same time I hope that parents everywhere use it as a  
wake up call, how many parents try to use the children's activities as  
a baby sitter so they can watch  or participate in things ?? how many  
let their kids run all over site , with just other kids , no  
supervision,no one that knows exactly where they are , and what they  
are doing , or who they are doing it with ??
it's really past time for all parents to be responsible for their kids  
at all times, not just when its convenient .>>>

Unfortunately, this seems to be an on-going problem, throughout my 22  
years in this Society. I know it can be tough to be several places at  
once. Comments or suggestions on how to accomplish this, parents?  
Those of you that do manage to do this, how do you do it? Ministers of  
Children, what can be done to make your jobs easier or more efficient?

One problem I've seen, throughout the Society is the background  
checks, or at least the number of people who have passed them. The  
background check seems to be good only for about the same length of  
time as most people remain Ministers of Children, which keeps us from  
building up a supply of folks who have passed their background check  
and can fill in, either as primary or secondary child watching  
personnel. It is my understanding that the cost of the background  
checks isn't that great. I've wondered if the kingdom, or local  
groups, could be allowed to pay for this check so that we had more  
available people to share child watching responsibilities?

I will say that, in general, the children in the SCA are much more  
polite, much more "adult" than kids of the same age that I've seen  
outside of the Society. Is it the environment? the adults they are  
around? that they also pick up and believe in the ideals that make  
this Society different? I don't know.

SCA-children-msg  (16K)  3/ 6/11  Are SCA children different from other
                                      children?
http://www.florilegium.org/files/SCA-SOCIOLOGY/SCA-children-msg.html

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****