Youth Protection Policy

Our Mission Rotary International is committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for all participants in Rotary activities.

Statement of Conduct To the best of their ability, Rotarians, Rotarians’ spouses and partners, and other volunteers must safeguard the children and young people they come into contact with and protect them from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

RI Certification Requirements - Applies to all New Generations programs – Young RYLA, RYLA, Interact, or Youth Exchange

Scope of Policy Applies to all D Rotarians and Volunteers Applies to all adults age 18 and older who reside in the home

Who is a Volunteer? Any adult involved with Rotary Youth Program activities who has direct interactions, either supervised or unsupervised, with students is considered a volunteer. –Club and District New Generations/Youth Program Officers and committee members –YE and RYLA counselors –Host parents and family members

Requirements of D5440 Adoption of Youth Protection Policy Development and implementation of training program for clubs and students Development of screening process for adults involved in program Development of processes for protection of student Establishment of process for investigation of allegations and record-keeping Obtain RI Certification for program

District 5440 : Has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against abuse and harassment Does everything in our power to ensure that young people are protected Takes any allegations or reports of abuse or harassment seriously; reports timely Prevents contact with known persons who are prohibited by law from working with children

Requirements of Clubs All clubs participating in NG Program are required to comply with Youth Protection Policy by submitting the annual Certificate/Renewal Form Training Background Checks

Training All volunteers in any NG program shall participate in at least one initial training session Annual refresher training May be met on-line, through attendance at District-sponsored program, or use of District-provided training module er.htmlhttp://training.nayen.org/training/sample/play er.html

Volunteer Screening Meet Rotary International and District 5440 eligibility for working with students Understand and comply with Rotary International and District 5440 guidelines for the Youth Exchange program.

Background Checks All volunteers in NG program (except those with only casual or occasional interactions with young people), who have one on one unsupervised student interaction or contact to complete Volunteer Affidavit Must be completed annually

Background Check Criminal background check assuring they: Have not admitted to, been convicted of or otherwise found to have engaged in an offense which resulted in harm to an individual, including assault or sexual assault or sexual battery. Have not been convicted of any offense which, in the opinion of the DPO, suggests an unacceptable risk of harm to a person in the care of that individual. Are not subject to a court order or decree prohibiting a person from being in contact with any other individual. If a host family, have no children under the age of eighteen living in or frequenting their residence that have been convicted of or treated for sexually inappropriate conduct.

Abuse and Harassment Abuse and harassment happen No organization is invulnerable Rotary takes youth protection very seriously Any abuse or harassment is unacceptable Zero tolerance policy

Definitions Sexual abuse: Forcing or encouraging a student to engage in sexual acts with another person of any age, of the same sex or the opposite sex as defined in applicable state law.

Sexual harassment Unwelcome or unasked for, visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Refers to sexual advances, requests for favors or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Definition includes conduct directed by men towards women, men toward men, women towards men, and women towards women. Can occur when a person in authority demands sexual favors or creates an offensive, hostile, or intimidating environment.

Is it important to know the difference? NO – abuse or harassment are both unacceptable and must be reported

Signs and Symptoms of Abuse or Harassment Extreme activity or withdrawal Displays of low self-esteem Expressing general feelings of shame Fear, particularly toward certain individuals Declining school performance Eating disorders Insomnia Irritability or angry outbursts

Additional Signs Avoidance of people, places, and things that might remind one of an abusive incident Anxiety or depression Nightmares Headache, stomach or back pain Suicidal thoughts Involvement with drugs or alcohol

Sexual offenders Most sexual offenders in Rotary programs will not have a criminal background Predators who seek opportunities for sexual activity where they should not Often deterred by these policies

Avoid Offensive Behavior Do –Treat young people with respect - be aware of your tone of voice & manner and their reactions –OK to touch and hug students and young people in a way that is not intrusive/disturbing to them or observers –Be sensitive to diverse perspectives, cultural differences and language variations

Avoid Offensive Behavior DO NOT –Engage in rough physical games including horseplay –Use physical force in any way, especially as a form of punishment –Think twice before making a joke –Touch a student in any way that could be interpreted as intrusive or sexual –Make sexually suggestive comments, even as a joke –Spend excessive time alone with a student, this may lead to misunderstanding

Your Intent is NOT relevant Is the behavior offensive to the individual? Is the behavior appropriate with a minor? “I didn’t mean anything by it” is not a defense

Receiving a Report of Harassment or Abuse Listen attentively and stay calm Assure privacy but not confidentiality Get the facts, but don’t interrogate Be non-judgmental and reassure the young person Keep a written record Do not attempt to contact the alleged offender

Caution Most important concern is victim Rotarians should not speculate, make editorial comments to media or others or offer personal opinions. “No Comment” is appropriate. Members should be cautioned about commenting on the situation and possibilities of slander or libel claims If Rotarian is accused – remove from all possible contact with victim and other youth and treat as other accused would be treated

INVESTIGATION BY DISTRICT The District NG Chairman will be notified IMMEDIATELY. Responsible for ensuring that complaints are dealt with according to applicable law and the interests of the affected person are protected to the extent possible.

Procedure Student shall be offered immediate support services District Governor will be notified of incident and kept advised of developments Confidentiality of the student and any person against whom allegations are made will be respected in accordance with applicable law.

Sanctions Termination of membership Convicted Non-Rotarian Club sanctions for failure to remove member

Additional Requirements for Long-Term Youth Exchange Participating Clubs

Host Family Recruitment and Vetting May not publicize need for host families – pity or guilt May not release personal student data to unvetted persons

Host Family Screening Requirements Completion of written application, including home photos Personal in-home in-person interviews of all host family members residing in the home. Reference check of at least two non-relative personal references. Criminal background checks for each adult member (18 years of age or older) living in the family home.

More host family procedures Once these steps are taken, the host family may have access to or view any printed student application with photos, personal descriptions, etc. Criminal background checks and training are required for club counselors. Scheduled and unannounced visits to home during year Cannot provide host family with any incentive or compensation

Counselor Screening In addition to volunteer screening requirements: Counselors must not be a member of the student’s host family. Counselors shall be trained in responding to any problems or concerns which may arise during the exchange, which may include instances of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or harassment.

Training/Certification Club YEO must complete annual Department of State online training module This training is in addition to the Youth Protection training required of all New Generations volunteers

Contact with Student Comprehensive local services list such as rape and suicide crisis hotline, community services, school counselors, etc. At least two non-Rotarians to contact for assistance (non-related to each other, one man, one woman) Monthly contact with student and host family

Problems unique to RYE Cultural differences make universal definitions of sexual abuse extremely difficult to establish Cultural stereotyping can expose students to abuse that other students from the host culture would not be subjected to Fear that reported abuse may result in them being sent home

The PROBLEM Sexual abuse problems do occur for some of our students during the course of the exchange program Nothing suggests there is more or less likelihood of abusive situations in this program as opposed to general adolescent population

STUDENT SELECTION AND SCREENING All participating students shall: –Complete a written application and be interviewed –Attend all district orientation and training sessions. All parents or legal guardians of participating students must: –Be interviewed to help determine the student’s suitability for participation. –At least one parent or legal guardian shall attend outbound district orientation

YE Allegation Procedure Chairman will contact Crisis Management Team Crisis Management Team will: –Assess the situation –Notify all necessary parties –Assure student has been removed from situation –Notify YE Chair –Serve as primary contact for student, parents, host family, Social Services, police, other authorities –Advocate for the victim assuring needs are met –Act as link to professional caring agencies

All clubs that wish to apply to the district for certification must develop: List of services in the area (rape and suicide crisis hotline, alcohol and drug awareness programs, law enforcement agencies, community services, etc.) Club youth protection policy training program.

Participating clubs agree to: Annual Compliance Contract Volunteer Affidavits Host Family Selection/Screening/Training process Procedures for removal of student from home Follow Abuse and Harassment Reporting Guidelines Provide Crisis Support Service list Club Counselor provided/training

Participating clubs agree to: Report all serious incidents (accidents, crimes, early returns, death) involving Youth Exchange students to the District Youth Exchange Chairman immediately. Plan club activities so as to minimize situations where abuse may occur. Resources should be organized in such a way so that students have a chaperone of the same gender. Avoid situations where one child is supervised by one adult.

Always remember - We are legally and morally responsible for the well being of other parents’ children With all of us working together, we can keep our New Generations students safe and make this a meaningful and happy experience for all of us.

For more information: Rotary Code of Policies (RCP) Youth Exchange U.S. Department of State - DOS 22 CFR Secondary School Students District