We ask that all participants & volunteers agree to our SKS Waivers and abide by our So Kids SOAR Code Of Conduct (Please read through it below or click the PDF button to download) (Communication and Physical Contact Policies with So Kids SOAR staff, board of directors, and ambassadors): So Kids SOAR has many individuals that support our work and may be present at our programs. To protect our staff, board of directors, and ambassadors, we ask that all participants, volunteers and parents/guardians abide by the following: All SKS staff and board members and volunteers have been through a screening process and trained in appropriate interactions with participants. We ask that all participants and guardians act with respect and appropriate boundaries when working with our team as well. Below are three overarching guidelines for all SKS constituents to remember in order to protect themselves and the organization: ❏ Boundaries: Staff members must establish and maintain clear professional boundaries in all interactions with participants and participants/parents/guardians must establish and maintain clear professional boundaries with volunteers and staff/board members. ❏ Behaviors : Staff members must avoid behaviors that cross, or could be misconstrued as crossing professional boundaries. ❏ Situations : Staff members should be careful to minimize situations where they are alone with a participant in a private space. ❏ Physical Contact: Unauthorized or unconsented physical contact between board members, volunteers, and participants is strictly prohibited. All individuals involved are expected to maintain professional conduct and respect personal boundaries at all times. Any form of physical interaction must be consensual and appropriate to the context of the event or interaction. Due to the intensive one-on-one volunteer to participants nature of SKS programs, staff members develop relationships with participants. These relationships are designed to serve as protective factors that help youth overcome challenges in their lives, but when professional boundaries are hazy or are crossed, these relationships can cause harm to our participants and organizations. Programs must have in place, and educate staff on, clearly established professional boundaries to protect everyone involved. Please see our stipulations below:. •Volunteers (inclusive of SKS Ambassadors) and Board Members must not contact an SKS participant at their home, school, place of work, on social media/digital communications or any other setting outside of SKS without the parent or guardian's express written permission. •SKS participants and parents/guardians must not contact SKS board members or volunteers (inclusive of SKS Ambassadors) at their home, school, place of work, on social media/digital communications or any other setting outside of SKS without the volunteer or SKS Board Members written permission. •All INITIAL communications between SKS participants/parents/guardians and SKS board/ambassadors MUST be filtered through SKS staff. SKS Staff is the first line of contact for any SKS constituents (Volunteers, Participants, Parents/Guardians, Board Members, Ambassadors) when regarding any SKS matters or questions/concerns. Each contact request will be reviewed and appropriate action will be taken from the review on a case by case basis. Please do not contact any SKS participants/parents/guardians/volunteers/ambassadors/board members without first contacting SKS staff for approval to move forward with the communication •We do encourage volunteers/Ambassadors/Board Members to not give their contact information to SKS participants without careful consideration. Please think through what giving your contact information may mean and that accepting friend requests on socials may welcome frequent and persistent contact by some participants (even after establishing boundaries). SKS will do its best to protect all of our constituents. •Each and/or any violation of the above stipulations will constitute in an SKS Incident Form that will detail the incident and submitted to the governance committee for review of appropriate actions from the incident. The actions will be communicated to the individual (with any probations that may result from a second violation). I/WE HAVE READ THE ABOVE WAIVER AND RELEASE, UNDERSTAND THAT I/WE HAVE GIVEN UP SUBSTANTIAL RIGHTS BY COMPLETING THIS REGISTRATION FORM, HAVE NOT CHANGED IT ORALLY, AND AGREE TO IT VOLUNTARILY.