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Introduction
Outdoor Service Guides takes youth protection seriously, and all members must be aware of our relevant policies. Our shared responsibility begins with reading and understanding the OSG policies dealing with youth protection and our ethical practices. It continues with learning about what child abuse is, how it happens, and our responsibility in identifying and reporting it. Finally, it finds us putting these practices into action. Together, these steps make up our Youth Protection Training program.
It’s important to note that child abusers will always take advantage of our ignorance. The better we know and understand how to identify the signs and different forms of child abuse, and the more comfortable we are with our role in both preventing and reporting abuse, the better we’ll be able to safeguard our youth. Discussion of these policies should be ongoing, upfront, and frequent. Both adult leaders and parents/guardians should be knowledgeable in the policies and practices of OSG.