Updates to youth protection training

[fred johnson]

I had a long discussion with a volunteer who's helping me with a non-scouting family shelter program at a Catholic church. We were discussing the required youth protection training. The end-result of the discussion was that we'd like to see both the BSA and Catholic church training programs improved.

 

Catholic church training is called Virtus. http://www.virtus.org. The training (when I took it years ago) is very much centered on recognizing abusers and situations used by abusers. Grooming (conditioning the victim for the abuse). Indicators such as certain types of touching (hair, shoulder massages, etc). This is way over simplified, but the point was recognizing abuse and calling it out.

 

IMHO, BSA youth protection is very much about removing the opportunities for abuse through policies and procedures. And sometimes knowing when and who to contact about abuse.

 

The trouble is the BSA training doesn't teach you about the nature of abuse and indicators that it's happening. I know some of the old video CDs had some of that, but even those were very limited compared to the Catholic Virtus training.

 

On the flip side, the Catholic training doesn't establish strong policies and procedures such as no one-on-one contact. For the Catholic family shelter program that we are running, this is a rule I'm establishing. I also talk about the nature of the youth, the environment and male volunteers. (Sorry .. there is a double standard ... my attennea go up if I see a male volunteer too focused on picking up kids) Also, asking that people do not hesitate to call out situations that could be opportunities for abuse. For example, if you are going to walk thru the sleeping area, have two volunteers walk together thru the area, not one.

 

SO MY QUESTIONS

---- Do others think BSA youth protection should be improved by teaching more about the nature of abuse and nature of the abusers?

---- Any news about potential updates to BSA youth protection?

 

As far as I'm concerned, neither BSA or Catholic youth protection training were complete in and by themselves. I've really benefited by having taken both ... multiple times.

[moosetracker]

The BSA on-line training did a little, but didn't harp on it. If you annually play the video you should for the youth, it is very explicit.. The cub scouts I think more so then the Boy Scouts, I feared I sent them home with nightmares when I played it once. I wish they would put it online so that we can direct the parents to it, and they can decide if they want to show it or not.

 

I did the Catholic one this year, just starting to work for a Catholic Church with the scouting program this year.. I thought it was bad, I mean ours will never win an academy, but I thought it set it up so that you remembered what was presented.. All I got from the Catholic one was talking heads obviously reading from a teleprompter, and obvious they had no training in it, and had not practiced much.. So a monotone person reading.. That is all I remember of it, nothing else was memorable. I guess I retained enough to do the questions. I think sometimes I didn't then I had to get the questions and review the boring video to get the answers to retake.. Seriously, someone reading to me is the worst form of training for me.. It would have been best, if they gave me the script and let me read it for myself if they couldn't have gotten better trainers for the video.

[jpstodwftexas]

The State of Texas uses the BSA YP except it is done in a Face to Face presentation with an Instructor and you are required to stop and discuss the Segments and take a Written Test to pass.

 

I think the program is fine..We are not Trained Professionals with years of Education in Pyschology

[Scouter99]

I also talk about the nature of the youth' date=' the environment and male volunteers. (Sorry .. there is a double standard ... my attennea go up if I see a male volunteer too focused on picking up kids) [/quote']

 

My idiot antennae just went up.

[walk in the woods]

There are no updates to YPT coming. Quoting from the Membership Standards Implementation FAQ at http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/membership/pdf/Unit_Implementation_FAQ.pdf.

 

"This change in membership standards is not a youth protection issue. To consider it a youth protection issue would lead one to believe that sexual abuse and victimization is considered inherent to same-sex attraction. This is not the case."

[moosetracker]

There are no updates to YPT coming. Quoting from the Membership Standards Implementation FAQ at http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/membership/pdf/Unit_Implementation_FAQ.pdf.

 

"This change in membership standards is not a youth protection issue. To consider it a youth protection issue would lead one to believe that sexual abuse and victimization is considered inherent to same-sex attraction. This is not the case."

Statement is true enough, and something they should stress when people stress it as the reason that homosexuals should not be adult leaders.

 

I still have no issue with troops that need to work out some logistics to make all scouts feel comfortable. But I am fine with other peoples suggestion to let the kids work it out for themselves, as long as the kids are made to feel comfortable that they are welcome to speak up and their concerns will be listened to seriously, rather then just phoo-phooing the concerns away.

 

Nothing to do with sexual abuse or victimization, just simply sexual attraction, if someone is known to be gay and another feels they are perhaps flirting with them, they may not feel comfortable sharing a tent with them.

[moosetracker]

Here is an interesting article about the change on Jan 1st.. It has common questions asked in the forum, but with responses from BSA official. Most likely similar questions were asked if you went to the public gripe sessions just before the vote, but I hadn't gone to it as I didn't hear about it until after it took place.

 

http://news.msn.com/us/boy-scouts-open-ranks-to-gay-youth-on-jan-1-1

 

 

[jpstodwftexas]

Ahhhhhhh The Discussion about Youth Protection transgresses into a Homophobic discussion instead of The Program itself.

 

Of all the Child Molesters I have encountered over the Last 10 Years 10 Months in as a Correctional Officer for Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division in a Maximum Security Prison, I have yet to encounter 1 that was involved with Boy Scouts of America...They have been Teachers, Policemen, Firemen, Doctors, Lawyers, Sport Coaches....Very Very Few have been unrelated to the Victim. 99% are Heterosexual and Usually Married..

 

Awake up and pay attention of whats going on around ya. Take the Blinders off, view the Whole picture not just what ya want to see.

[Stosh]

My YPT training for the youth is quite simple. If ANYONE makes you feel uncomfortable about anything, tell an adult. If it's another scout, tell the SM/ASM or any other adult leader. If it's one of them, tell your parents, if it's your parents tell a teacher or your pastor, if it's one of them tell the police, if it's the police, tell anyone else that will listen. Keep telling until someone does something about it! The only thing you do NOT do is keep silent!

 

Stosh

[scoutergipper]

Ahhhhhhh The Discussion about Youth Protection transgresses into a Homophobic discussion instead of The Program itself.

 

Of all the Child Molesters I have encountered over the Last 10 Years 10 Months in as a Correctional Officer for Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division in a Maximum Security Prison, I have yet to encounter 1 that was involved with Boy Scouts of America...They have been Teachers, Policemen, Firemen, Doctors, Lawyers, Sport Coaches....Very Very Few have been unrelated to the Victim. 99% are Heterosexual and Usually Married..

 

Awake up and pay attention of whats going on around ya. Take the Blinders off, view the Whole picture not just what ya want to see.

I don't think you understand the meaning of the term "heterosexual."

[jpstodwftexas]

Ahhhhhhh The Discussion about Youth Protection transgresses into a Homophobic discussion instead of The Program itself.

 

Of all the Child Molesters I have encountered over the Last 10 Years 10 Months in as a Correctional Officer for Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division in a Maximum Security Prison, I have yet to encounter 1 that was involved with Boy Scouts of America...They have been Teachers, Policemen, Firemen, Doctors, Lawyers, Sport Coaches....Very Very Few have been unrelated to the Victim. 99% are Heterosexual and Usually Married..

 

Awake up and pay attention of whats going on around ya. Take the Blinders off, view the Whole picture not just what ya want to see.

het·er·o·sex·u·al

adj.

Sexually oriented to persons of the opposite sex.

Of or relating to different sexes.

ped·o·phile

noun

an adult who is sexually attracted to young children.

 

There is a difference in a Heterosexual and a Pedophile...Being a Homosexual does not make you a Pedophile. Appears you don't understand the Meaning The statistics say that one out of every three to four girls has been sexually assaulted by the age of 18. One boy out of every six will be abused by the age of 18

[jpstodwftexas]

Look up your states Sex Offender List...You will find they List the Age and Sex of the Victims...Count How many are Male Offender/ Male Victims, Male Offender/Female Victims, Female Offender/Female Victim and Female Offender/Male Victims....You will be Surprised the Vast Majority will be Heterosexuals who are Pedophile

[jpstodwftexas]

Take a Look at Wichita County....You will find that out of 203 Registered Sex Offenders Maybe 2 are Male Offender/Male Victims 2 are Female Offender/Male Victims

[Eagledad]

With all due respect Jpstodwftexas, when I read statements that are incorrect wrong like no child molesters caught in the BSA or 99% of child molesters are married heterosexuals with kids, how can we trust any insight you give us in the future? That doesn't mean the BSA is more of a risk with gay molesters than other youth centered organizations, but it certainly isn't less either. Using the word homophobic only shows your bias on the subject and a lack of confidence of supporting your opinion in an intellectual discussion. Youth protection isn't the real issue of gay adult leaders anyway, it's gay adult role models. Role models have a real influence on youth. How does the BSA convince parents that a gay influence isn't dangerous to their sons. That is the elephant in the room. Barry

[fred johnson]

I also talk about the nature of the youth' date=' the environment and male volunteers. (Sorry .. there is a double standard ... my attennea go up if I see a male volunteer too focused on picking up kids) [/quote']

 

My idiot antennae just went up.

Perhaps you walked by a mirror. Make a point, not an insult.