Youth Protection
Protecting minors on campus is not just a good idea, it’s part of Wi. Stat. 48.981 and the Clery Act. The Universities of Wisconsin Policy 625 Youth Protection and Compliance became effective March 2023 and sets minimum standards to protect minors on our campus. It is the SRCs role to implement this policy on campus and equip departments with the tools they need to ensure the protection of all minor’s visiting UWGB. To ensure compliance of this policy, the UWGB Youth Activities SOP is required to be followed for all youth activities.
Participating with Minors?
If you are considering serving at an UWGB event that will have minors, work with the activity Sponsor or Program Facilitator to coordinate your training and background check prior to the event. At a minimum, employees, staff, or volunteers participating with minors during youth activities will:
- Sign up on the VolunteerMatters portal to complete your profile and assigned training required for the program (i.e. Prohibited Conduct and Mandatory Reporting)
- Complete a Youth Event Agreement or Youth Event Agreement-Minor Staff
- Complete a Criminal Background Check
- Be aware of the event’s Safety Plan
- Follow operational requirements necessary for the activity (i.e. medication dispensing, check in/out process)
Hosting a Youth Event, Camp or Clinic?
If you are considering coordinating an event with minor participants, you are required to follow the UWGB Youth Activities SOP. These guidelines ensure all sponsored youth activities or third-party events follow University policy.
- Register your program with the Pre-College Liaison. Sponsored programs should utilize the YARS System activity registry or the Youth SharePoint Activity Registry. Access is provided by contacting maines@uwgb.edu.
- Comply with the standards outlined in the Event Checklist Matrix
- Work with the Pre-College Liaison to confirm your program has an adequate safety plan in place, hold harmless forms, and/or third-party agreement.
- Ensure your activity staff and volunteers have been properly vetted and trained through Volunteer Matters portal.
- Comply with adult to student supervision ratios per University Minor Protection and Adult Leadership Policy.
- Implement operational protocols that follow Wisconsin Statutes for participant Rosters, check in, medication, EMS, incident reporting, or food safety. Review the Reference Section of the UWGB Youth Activities SOP for requirements that may relate to your scheduled activities. The Camp Operations Guide is also a good resource.
- Report incidents immediately using the Reporting Form link
Local School Agreements
UWGB has agreements in place with various local schools to ensure youth protections are followed at our campus. Review the list below for verification of an active agreement before extending an invitation to a school. If one is in place, request school complete the School Activity Worksheet to document the activity details.
Program Support
For questions or assistance in this coordinating a youth activity, contact our campus Pre-College Liaison at maines@uwgb.edu. You may also contact the Camps & Youth Programs Office to consider how they can support your event. Other Resources include: