A view from the woods.In the camp community, we constantly hear people talk about risk management. What's the deal? Camps work to provide growing and learning experiences for children and youth. How risky can that be? In the Kid's Count Data Book 1997, Annie E. Casey Foundation According to their website, "the Annie E. Casey Foundation has worked to build better futures for disadvantaged children and their families in the United States." The foundation is a regular contributor to public broadcasting, including National Public Radio. reports, "Deaths from accident, homicide homicide (hŏm`əsīd), in law, the taking of human life. Homicides that are neither justifiable nor excusable are considered crimes. A criminal homicide committed with malice is known as murder, otherwise it is called manslaughter. , and suicide suicide [Lat.,=self-killing], the deliberate taking of one's own life. Suicide may be compulsory, prescribed by custom or enjoined by the authorities, usually as an alternative to death at the hands of others, or it may be committed for personal motives. accounted for 79 percent of all teen deaths among 15 to 19 year olds in 1994." Research indicates that accidents account for far more teen deaths than any other source. Begins to sound a little risky, eh? Taking risks is a natural, normal part of young adolescent ad·o·les·cent adj. Of, relating to, or undergoing adolescence. n. A young person who has undergone puberty but who has not reached full maturity; a teenager. behavior. Humans must risk and make mistakes to learn. Children need opportunities to experiment and test boundaries Natural or artificial separations or divisions between adjoining properties that show their limits. Boundaries are used to establish private and public ownership by determining the exact location of the points at which one piece of land is distinguishable from another. . We can't and shouldn't should·n't Contraction of should not. shouldn't should not shouldn't should try to diminish that natural process. After all, if we try to eliminate that developmental trait trait (trat) 1. any genetically determined characteristic; also, the condition prevailing in the heterozygous state of a recessive disorder, as the sickle cell trait. 2. a distinctive behavior pattern. , what will happen to growth and learning? Will we in turn stunt progress? So, if we don't don't 1. Contraction of do not. 2. Nonstandard Contraction of does not. n. A statement of what should not be done: a list of the dos and don'ts. want to change a child's developmental right, what do we do? Well, we manage the risk! We discover the adult's role during this natural phenomenon. We manage the environment, the boundaries of behaviors, and the rules for guidance. We step up to the task at hand in a progressive and proactive manner. ACA ACA - Application Control Architecture has a responsibility to its members in much the same way. As the knowledge center for resources and solutions, the association must provide members with no less than six critical services to advance and promote quality risk-management techniques: * Business trends: How are regulations changing? * What are the market trends? Insurance information: What are the trends we are observing in the industry? What are we learning about ourselves? * Developmental facts: What do we know about children and youth that contributes to risk-management planning? * Youth development statistics: What are the current statistics that illustrate how children today are responding to their environments? Where are the indicators of concern impacting risk-management planning? * Management techniques: How do we best deal with the issues we face? What are the skills we will need to most appropriately serve children and youth? * Crisis support: Who can help us when the worst happens? ACA is determined to be timely, accurate, and relevant to members' needs. The staff is a viable part of your risk-management planning and must respond accordingly. Yet, why is risk management so important? It is important because children and youth are important. It is important because we must preserve the camp community. You see, camp is one of the few places where children and youth can experience a positive community environment designed totally for them. For many, camp is one of the last communities they can enter and feel safe. It is one of the last communities they can move about freely, discovering the world and themselves without fear. It is one of the last communities still willing to discuss moral order, responsibility for self and others, values, hope, and the future. It is one of the last communities willing to sacrifice sacrifice [Lat. sacrificare=to make holy], a type of religious offering, or gift to a superior or supreme being, in which the offering is consecrated through its destruction. in order to build character and strength in tomorrow's leaders! It is up to us, the leaders in the camp community, to practice risk management and preserve this precious community for children and youth who are desperate to discover a place where it is safe enough for them to be kids - and challenging enough for them to discover their potential as emerging adults. |
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