• About the Gazette
  • Kingdom and Local Events
  • Submissions

The Æthelmearc Gazette

~ Covering the Kingdom of Æthelmearc of the SCA

The Æthelmearc Gazette

Tag Archives: Youth Activities

Children’s Arts and Sciences Projects for Competitions

30 Tuesday Aug 2022

Posted by aethgazette in A&S Competition and Display, Arts & Sciences, Youth Activities, Youth combat

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

arts & sciences, Children, Youth Activities

By THLady Maggie Rue

The Society is a place for children of all ages to take on a myriad of project in the arts and sciences, and certainly there is a number of places online and in books, magazines, and handouts where I’ve found projects galore.

But where does a caregiver go to find projects that are worthy of entering in an A&S competition, without creating too much stress for all participants, while successfully obtaining materials readily and cheaply?

The good news is there are plenty of places from which to get ideas without breaking the bank; the better news is that there is such variety within those categories that no one has to repeat anything that’s been done before. With an open mind and ready sources of inspiration, all kids can enter an A&S competition and bring new information to the table for everyone to enjoy.

Block Printing

One of the easiest methods of creating patterns, block printing uses a shape created from some carveable/cuttable material and transfers ink or paint onto fabric, paper, or other material like a stamp. The block, made of wood, linoleum, rubber, foam or even a potato, creates the stamp from which the ink will transfer the design. Block printing is traditionally Asian with the concept predating paper. In India, block printing is used to transfer patterns onto fabric which is then made into clothing. By the 1300s, it would appear that block printing reached Europe and, according to one paper, block print designs were used for children’s clothes, thereby making clothing, linens for household, wall hangings, and paper products all appropriate entries for any child to put into an A&S competition.

Designs for repeated patterns can be simple: Circles, plus signs or Xs, flowers, spirals or geometric designs, stars, and so on. For singular stamps, more intricate designs can help create book pages, fabric art for tablecloths or napkins, or designs for art squares to display on walls. Another useful project is to place single printed pieces on cardstock for holidays or birthdays, or as largess for thank-yous from the Crown.

Clay

Quite possible one of the easiest mediums for most hands large and small, there are also a lot of different ideas that clay can accommodate. Pottery is a popular way to go, and certainly the number of pieces from all regions of the world can allow a budding young artist to pick and choose their subject matter. All cups, bowls, and saucers are useful and can be put together for a child’s first feast gear, or as gifts to give to others.

When it comes to period styles, a little Google can go a long way. For example: one can start here for English Medieval pottery examples, and then they can move on to more specific shapes, sizes, and mixes. In the Middle East and Eastern traditions, there are a number of varieties of bowls, tea cups, and jars to peruse and copy. Or one can research tiles.

With a couple of squares of clay hardening, a kid can let their imagination run wild with this resource that connects to several books all about different styles of tiles of the Middle Ages. Tiles are also not only pretty and decorative, but lovely gifts and great ways of showing techniques and styles in a competition.

But clay can be used for so much more. One key use is as game pieces for a variety of medieval games. Roman Dux and even chess pieces can be created with clay. Also, rather than allowing a child to play with real bones, clay can be manipulated to create a set of knucklebones, the first dice. Dice themselves came in a wide variety of materials.

In addition, runestones are popular, as well as Chinese dominos. Clay tablets were used for writing as well as for creating prayers that were left at temples as offerings. The abacus can be created using small clay donuts as the counters. For other projects, clay can be broken down into pieces to make safe mosaic tiles, and clay can also be used as the material base into which the child presses mosaic tiles. Finally, clay makes for great counterweights for scales, construction projects, and STEM experiments that are medieval or ancient in nature, like the groma or a scale.

Clay can help make masks used in theater performances such as what’s seen in
Roman times or in Asian cultures. If not making the mask itself, clay is a great mold for applying papier-mâché (also period) in order to make funerary molds, coffins, death masks, helmets, doll heads, and so on.

Woodworking/Leatherworking

This is more for the older kids, especially when it comes to knives and other sharp implements of destruction, but can be very rewarding—leather was used for all sorts of containers, accessories, with a number of household applications.

Wood was used for everything at one point in Europe, so much so that entire forests were denuded. Pieces of balsa can also be used to make fans, in miniatures and model making (see later), and for containers of all sorts. Sticks and reeds from out in the wild are useful for everything from measurements, to weapons, to hats and baskets. Larger pieces of wood can be used to carve dolls.

Cooking/Recipe Redaction

Cooking is one of the great ways to get a kid involved with history. When I was
homeschooling my first child, we got a great book from the library that was all about cuisine from other countries, called “Cooking Up World History.” None of the recipes are particularly complicated or involve hard-to-find ingredients. I’ve seen other historical/cultural recipes in other books about history and highly recommend you look around.

In addition, there are a number of “medicinal” recipes for external remedies that kids can redact and show others, such as soapmaking. Another example would be “cold cream” for which Galen was said to invent one of the first recipes. Even henna requires a recipe.

Other examples include honeyed or syrupy dates, butter, hummus varieties, red bean soup, Roman sweet cakes, or handmade soap. Seriously, anything can be turned into a recipe redaction, and Google is your friend for reading ancient recipes by Nostradamus, Pliny the Elder, or Henricus Institor. Through information from Wikipedia and Google, you can find digitized copies of the very first printed cookbook, De honesta voluptate, from 1480.

Weaving

Loom weaving can be achieved using sticks (set up as an open frame) or cardboard for a frame while the warp and weft is created with yarn, thread, or fabric strips. Reeds and sticks can help create basketry of all sorts. Cardboard can also be used for Kumihimo, a Japanese form of weaving that creates fantastic woven ropes for all sorts of projects. Fingerloop weaving is still a valid project. Although tablet weaving requires a more intricate set-up, it isn’t difficult, according to Coblaith Muimnech, who talks about it and many other kid-related activities in detail with complete instructions here.

Sewing and Embroidery

Young children of old were taught to embroider at a young age and it seems that those ideas still work well today. Whether sewing up a stuffie of some sort to decorating a napkin or piece of linen as a favor, there are many patterns that look great and are relatively easy for most kids. In addition, thrift stores can supply an endless cheap supply of cotton squares and other pieces of fabric and sewing notions. Other easy projects include a pillow, a chemise or T-tunic, or maybe a Jorvik cap, with or without embroidery.

Herbal/Apothecary/Aromatherapy

Although making Galen’s cold cream or an herbal tisane used for coughs is in some kids’ wheelhouses, most won’t be as interested in medicines. Thankfully, my research in plants and apothecaries has opened a whole other rabbit hole: aromatherapy. Medieval society was totally into the idea that certain scents created medicinal or magical responses, as well as an entire trade for herbs and spices from all over to excite the senses. I first started making little herbal pillows based on Cunningham’s magical herbs texts, but then applied the same ideas to in-period concepts, helping kids make their own scented sachets using whatever made them feel good. Herbal sachets can be readily made by taking a square or circle of cloth and adding in whatever herbs and spices you have lying around the house. Add a bit of pillow stuffing, tie it up, and you have a wearable or carry-able herbal sachet just like days of old.

In addition, there is a load of traditions in medieval culture involving household (i.e. stuff you can obtain in any grocery or discount store) herbs and spices such as gift-giving, containers, scented pomanders and linen ideas, and other projects that are readily researched and reproduced, some of which I discuss further in my Herbal and Apothecary Newsletters, found here.

Model Making/Miniatures

The one aspect of A&S that I feel kids would love is making models—these could be either miniature buildings or small models of devices that once existed. I got this idea from a book I picked up called “The Encyclopedia of Ancient History”, which has a number of projects throughout on different cultures. One of them is a cardboard replica of a Chinese wheelbarrow invented about 100 AD. It is fascinating, easily replicated in miniature, and such projects open up a whole world of ideas for A&S competition.

I’ve seen reproductions in miniature of the Parthenon, Pyramids, Japanese structures and gardens, and so on. In addition, recreating such interesting devices as boats and ships, Archimedes screws and bronze cannons, water or candle clocks, or siege towers and merchant wagons is about as awesome as any miniature catapult or trebuchet. There has been some great miniature work on creating single rooms, such as the parlor or dining room of a Victorian house, and it makes sense that a kid can attempt to recreate a scene from any number of illuminated sources. For example, I took the idea of the apothecary from a source:

And reproduced it here:

Art and Illumination

Paintings are everywhere and there are numerous in-period styles that can be
examined and replicated, and all caretakers need is a visit to a local craft store or big-box store for a pack of gouache paints, some brushes, and a couple of stretched canvases or pieces of nice paper. Should the child become more involved, then more involved supplies can be obtained through the internet.

When it comes to a project, the sky’s the limit: a young person can do calligraphy & illumination for scrolls, a modern song or an illuminated letter, or perhaps their name in calligraphy. I picked up a number of in-period pieces to copy by googling “medieval illumination” and the subject in which I was interested, so “winter”, “queen”, “the letter P”, for example.

Weapons

Kids can start fighting in heavy weapons and rapier combat when they turn six. They can certainly start working on their own kits, decorating them any way they want, and it is absolutely an arts and science worthy of competition. Examples include painting their own shields, designing their own armor, or creating a period fencing buckler.

In addition, archery and thrown weapons can be started as soon as they show safety on the range—my five-year-old was allowed to try her hand throwing an axe, although she wasn’t really safe enough to continue. She’ll learn. At any rate, hand-fletching arrows, making a quiver or even an axe sheath would be a great project.

Music/Bardic

I highly encourage folks to let kids be noisy, either playing music on instruments or singing at the tops of their lungs. Same goes for the SCA. We should be encouraging music and dance every chance we get for kids because they’re the ones that most freely enjoy it. Back in medieval times, people danced and sang because it was an expression of freedom; today’s peeps (yes, not all, but a large portion) have so many venues of entertainment that we’ve put our own dancing and singing on pause. Through the kids we can get a little of that excitement back.

Reading music is a little more difficult for little ones, but Youtube is your friend for listening and copying singers until they have all the words down to any number of in-period songs. Sure, that seems vague, but I’ve watched my five-year-old pick up an entire folk song, in a completely different language, that she liked simply by watching it on repeat. Kids are ridiculous.

This goes for cheap instruments. I’ve gotten my daughter two doumbeks, two recorders, one tin whistle, a ukulele, and we borrowed/stole an electronic keyboard from my brother. Most pieces I found for cheap/free. There’s a guitar waiting for her when she gets a little bigger.

Competitions should overlook modern instruments, especially for children, as long as they are a modern version of an old one. Given the use for “filk” as an SCA experience, it’s easy enough to create music for kids to play and sing based off of modern songs in tablature. Nursery rhymes that are considered in-period include “To Market, To Market” and “Ding Dong Bell.”

The Competition

Æthelmearc has a pretty good Rubric for judging all participants on an equal scale, but some conversations with Midrealm’s Vigilant SæhildR barngóðR (aka Baroness Silly), Kingdom A&S Minister and creator of the It Takes My Child to Raze a Village event, show that there are many ways of creating competitions for children.

“The current Age Divisions for competition are: Duckling (6 years and Under), I (7-9 years), II (10-12 years), III (13-17 years), and Adult (18+). Participants of all ages fill out a form to share about their entry and learn some basics of SCA A&S documentation.

The first time we held the A&S Competition, a five-year-old stole the show with his “Tun-ip Soup” and the populace only got three beans for voting. Now we have a chart that rewards people who have been recognized in the Arts and Sciences with more beans (trusting their expertise!).”

Certainly, children should be encouraged to enter A&S more often, which leads to:

The Order of the Silver Sycamore

I have seen ONE of these awards given out. We should be giving these out like candy. Children should be given awards, because once they hit a certain age, they’re done. So, there’s no reason to hold these in reserve. Give ‘em to all the kids!

Links to more ideas:

  • Youth Activities by Agnes Marie de Calais
  • Tyger Camp (Youth Activities by the East Kingdom)
  • Members of the Order of the Silver Sycamore
  • Award Recommendation Form

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Youth category at the Ice Dragon Pentathlon

25 Tuesday Feb 2020

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Competitions, Ice Dragon

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Ice Dragon Pent, Youth Activities

Do you have an artistic youth, or two, itching to share their work with the Knowne World? Then perhaps they’d be interested in entering the Youth Category at the Passing of the Ice Dragon Arts & Sciences Pentathlon. Each year, the Pentathlon receives about a dozen of entries of our your young populace, who took up our challenge and prepared something special. Nothing is too simple or too unusual! From basic embroidery to scratch-made macarouns (mac-and-cheese), these kids have something to show that could teach even us know-it-all adults!

IMG_8933

Youth Entry: fabric block printing

Projects that have been entered over the past few years included block stamped silk fabric, self-knock arrows, a decorated youth heavy fighting shield, a woven viking backpack, paintings, a machine-sewn tunic with trim, illumination, an embroidered wood-handled Viking bag, inkle woven trim, a rabbit-fur lined pouch, and even some silk brocade. We welcome whatever your youth is enthusiast about! Our Æthelmearc youth is a treasure and we are looking forward to what they’ll come up with each time.

IMG_8934

Youth Entry: home-made macarouns – two versions, one spiced and one not spiced.

This year, the Youth Entries will be evaluated using Youth Entry judging criteria and the feedback will be tailored to the entrant’s age. We understand not each age range, nor all individual youths, process and produce at the same level and welcome adult guidance to help make the challenge of creation as much fun as possible. To help the evaluators evaluate the entry fairly, we request the youth or instructor to keep track of the division of labor, which is explained in more detail on the Ice Dragon Pent website. A simple list of who did what is often plenty.

Of course, we do love for a Journal to accompany the entry, to give us a glimpse behind the scenes of the creation of the entry. The judging criteria available on the Ice Dragon Pent website can be used as guidance to help explain what the evaluators are looking for when they look at the entry. If your youth is not yet at a point of making one, there are several ways the instructor can help. For instance, they can interview their youth entrant, or use the criteria questions as an on-paper interview. Whatever format your youth is comfortable with, we are too! We’re in it to inspire the next generation, and can’t wait to see what will happen next.

IMG_8936

Youth Entry: Youth Heavy legal fighting shield (with a cereal bowl boss).

But wait a minute – now you want to enter too, but you are not a Youth?! No worries, we’ve got you covered! Check out the Pent website for more information – there is plenty to peruse – especially the Material Culture Entries (physical entries; anything not literary or visual) page and judging criteria.

If you have any questions, you can contact the Arts & Sciences Pent Coordinator Cori, or you can contact me. My youth has entered many times, and we are happy to share our experiences with you.

Yours in Service,
Elska á Fjárfelli
Deputy Pentathlon Coordinator

Youth Entries page of the Passing of the Ice Dragon Pentathlon
Youth Judging Criteria page of the Passing of the Ice Dragon Pentathlon

Kingdom Event page on the AS 54 Festival of the Passing of the Ice Dragon.
Home page of the Festival of the Passing of the Ice Dragon.
Home page of the Passing of the Ice Dragon Pentathlon.

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Family Activities at Pennsic

15 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by aethgazette in Announcements, Pennsic, Youth Activities

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Announcements, Pennsic War, Youth Activities

Greetings from the Pennsic 49 Family Activities Coordinator!

10556474_10202552182948957_3471814752803955098_n

Photo by Baroness Clarice Roan

I know that it feels like Pennsic just happened, but next years’ staff is already hard at work preparing for Pennsic 49. Family Activities cannot run without the help of many hands, and we are looking for volunteers for several of our coordinator positions, as well as folks who think they might like to shadow those jobs to possibly do it in a few years. We’d love to prevent burnout by having many folks trained on jobs. Please fill out the linked form or email me at fpoint@pennsicwar.org if you are interested in any or more than one of these jobs. For jobs requiring an SCA background check, there is plenty of time to get one, and I’ll be happy to walk you through the process.

Thanks!

Mistress Leonete D’Angely, Family Point Coordinator

Interest Link: https://forms.gle/BZATFzFn6C3hGVWK6

Jobs that are open or looking for a shadow/deputy (** Requires SCA Background Check)

Deputy Family Point Coordinator** (appx 2 hours a week Jan-Mar, 3 hrs a week Apr-July, on call during Pennsic, early arrival to help set up optional)

Youth U Coordinator** (appx 2 hours a week Jan-Mar, 3 hrs a week Apr-July, on call during Pennsic)

Teen U Coordinator** (appx 2 hours a week Jan-Mar, 3 hrs a week Apr-July, on call during Pennsic)

Evening Activities Coordinator** (appx 2 hours a week Jan-Mar, 3 hrs a week Apr-July, on call during Pennsic)

Background Checked Daily Coordinator** (on call 1 or more days at Pennsic)

Toddler Activities/Parent Group Coordinator (appx 1 hour a week Jan-Mar, 2 hrs a week Apr-July, on call during Pennsic)

Garb Swap Organizer (appx 1 hour setup/takedown, check-in daily or every other day to tidy up area)

Background Checked Supervisors** (3-6 hour shifts during Pennsic)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Classes Deadline for Pennsic Family Activities Is Next Week

28 Sunday Apr 2019

Posted by aethgazette in Pennsic, Youth Activities

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Classes, Teaching, Youth Activities, youth track

Greetings from the Family Activities Staff of the Pennsic War!

The deadline to submit classes for Pennsic that will appear in the site book is mere days away, on May 1st!

The Family Activities department runs three separate tracks of classes and activities, and all three are still looking for teachers. Teachers do not have to have been background checked or have any specific youth qualifications. They just need enthusiasm for their subject and a willingness to teach. Having a second adult for the class is helpful, but not required.

Family Point, focused on those aged under 10, is looking for teachers of hands-on crafts, mostly for Peace Week slots. If you are not sure what to teach, we have pre-packaged activities ready to go, such as Viking bead lacing and rune carving, which just need teachers.

Youth University, aimed at those aged nine to 14 (and located at the playground), is looking for SCA history, persona-specific, and hands-on classes targeted to tweens. We have openings during both Peace and War Week.

Teen University, aimed at those 13 to 17 (and located in the regular university area), is also looking for classes on SCA history, actual history, heraldry, sewing, other hands-on classes, and practically everything in which adults are also interested. Many teens also take classes at the regular university, however we provide a lower-stress entry point for those who need it. We have openings both weeks.

If you are interested in teaching, you can either enter the class in the Pennsic University System in the parent/child category with a note in the additional scheduling for either TeenU, YouthU, or Family Point, or you can email me.

Please help us provide a full slate of classes for each group in order to help our next generation fully integrate and remain interested in our society.

Many thanks,

Mistress Leonete D’Angely, Pennsic Family Activities Coordinator and former teenaged Pennsic attendee

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Æthelmearc Youth Background Check Policy for Pennsylvania

15 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by aethgazette in Kingdom News

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Kingdom News, Youth Activities

AEthelmearcThe following policy and procedure document was previously posted on the Kingdom website by the Kindom Seneschale, Mistress Cori Ghora, and updated today.


Kingdom of Æthelmearc Youth Officer/Marshal Background Check and Mandated Reporter Training Policy and Procedures Including for Officers Active in Pennsylvania

Please note that these policies apply to all people working with minors in the State of Pennsylvania as warranted officers of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., whether the person volunteering lives in Pennsylvania or is coming in from another state to work at activities held in Pennsylvania on a regular basis (30 days or more aggregate through the calendar year).

This includes but is not limited to all warranted Youth Officers, Youth Marshals, Youth Fencing Marshals, Sparring Marshals, Local Knights Marshal and Group Fighting and Fencing Marshals who have minors fighting or fencing as adults at local practices in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Local Seneschals are encouraged but not required to take the Mandated Reporter Training and get required Background Check (BGC). Pennsylvania Local Seneschals should ensure at least one person in their group has completed all mandated requirements for working with minors.

Please Note:
Completing the Background Check Process and taking the Online Mandated Reporter Training does not replace the Society-required “Two-Deep Rule.”

Any Society activity where there are minors present MUST HAVE TWO UN-RELATED ADULTS present at all times.

CURRENTLY WARRANTED OFFICERS

As of July 1, 2015, any currently warranted officer of the SCA, including marshals, are grandfathered in on the required Pennsylvania Background Check requirements. These officers have until July 1, 2016 to bring their Background Check certifications into compliance. Please follow the BGC procedure listed under NEW OFFICERS below for obtaining your Background Checks and getting reimbursed for the fees.

Current officers are, however, required to take the free, easy, online Mandated Reporter Training as soon as possible. All Officers must have their training certification in to the Kingdom by August 30, 2015 to maintain their warrant.

Please see the listing below for training links.

NEW OFFICERS WARRANTED 7/1/15 OR LATER

For any person applying to be a Warranted Youth Officer/Marshal:

  • Apply with your Kingdom Youth Officer/Marshal to be accepted for the Warranting Process.

For any person applying to serve as Knight Marshal or Marshal of Fence in Pennsylvania groups.

  • Apply with your Kingdom Earl Marshal to be accepted for the Warranting Process.

The first part of this application will include turning in an online Mandated Reporter Training Certificate of Completion.

  • If accepted, the Kingdom Officer will issue permission (Reimbursement Certificate signed by the Kingdom Officer approving candidate to request reimbursement for PA BGC fees.) to apply to the Kingdom for reimbursement of the costs for the Pennsylvania required background checks.
  • At this time, the Kingdom Youth Officer/Marshal will also issue to the candidate the paperwork required for the Society Background Checks. Fill this out and mail/fax it to the Society (Contact info on forms). All Warranted Youth Officers and Youth Marshals in AEthelmearc still require Society Background Checks. The PA BGC is in addition to this Society requirement.
  • The Kingdom Youth Officer/Marshal will notify the Kingdom Seneschal of the candidate’s approval for a Society BGC via email, including:
    • Membership number and expiration date
    • Applicant’s full legal name
    • SCA name
    • Address, with City, State and Zip
    • Email
    • Phone number

NO ONE MAY BE A WARRANTED OFFICER UNLESS THEY ARE A PAID MEMBER OF THE SCA, INC. IN GOOD STANDING

The Kingdom Seneschal will verify that the candidate may be approved for a Society BGC and shall forward that approval to the Society Corporate Officers.

  • The Kingdom and the individual will both receive outcomes of the Society BGC.
  • The Kingdom does not receive the PA BGC outcomes. The candidate must provide those to the Kingdom.
  • When the BGC results for Pennsylvania come back, the candidate may turn the results, any related material, the signed “Volunteer Clearance Exception” statement (if required), and the Reimbursement Certificate in to the Kingdom (Seneschal Office), with a Kingdom Reimbursement Form, to be compensated for the costs of the BGC. The Kingdom will only reimburse when receiving results and all supporting required documentation.
    http://www.aethelmearc.org/…/exchequ…/reimbursement_form.pdf
  • The Seneschal will scan required documents and distribute to the Kingdom Officers as required for the individual’s specific warrant. The Seneschal Office will maintain a list of all PA and Society BGC requests and outcomes.
  • The ‘originals’ of all documents will be stored with the Kingdom Archivist/Waiver Secretary.
  • Scanned signed documents stored in a static format (PDF) are acceptable as ‘originals’. Email is acceptable for sending these static documents to the Kingdom.
  • When the candidate has completed any additional requirements as required by the specific activity, they will then be warranted. Completion of Background Check requirements is a precursor to training as a Marshal or Youth Officer and does not guarantee warranting as an Officer.
  • Rosters of warranted officers with the PA Endorsement will be maintained in addition to the standard Roster of Officers by the applicable Kingdom Officers.

LINKS AND DIRECTIONS:
Pennsylvania will be waiving the $10 fee for its Criminal Background Check and Child welfare Background Check starting July 25, 2015

LINKS FOR PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENTS:
If you have been a continuous resident of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years:

  • Pennsylvania State Police Clearance ($10)
    Click here to apply online OR
    Click here to download the form for printing and mailing
  • Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance ($10)
    Click here to apply online OR
    Click here to download the form for printing and mailing
  • Proof of completion of online Mandated Reporter training (free)
    Click here to access the course through the University of Pittsburgh; takes 2-3 hours to complete. This document will show other options available for fulfilling the course requirement.
  • Signed “Volunteer Clearance Exception” statement
    Click here to download the statement
    The “Volunteer Exception Form” is definitely required for people who’ve lived in PA for 10+ years and don’t have to take the FBI Background Check. See the next-to-last paragraph on the first page here. Based on this same document, please get any required FBI checks through the Department of Human Services, not the Department of Education, as the SCA, Inc. is not a school. This also saves a bit on the cost ($25.75 vs. $27)

When forms are completed on line, other than the Volunteer Exception Form which MUST be printed be signed, all of the certifications come as electronic documents by email or as a certificate that displays at the end of the process. As such, it should not be necessary to print and scan those documents. Be aware of this fact when working with the systems as it can be easy to miss where option to print, especially where it shows up at the end of the Mandated Reporter course.

LINKS FOR NON-PA RESIDENTS AND FOR THOSE RESIDENTS OF LESS THAN TEN CONTINUOUS YEARS:

If you have NOT been a continuous resident of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years:

  • Pennsylvania State Police Clearance ($10)
    Click here to apply online OR
    Click here to download the form for printing and mailing
  • Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance ($10)
    Click here to apply online OR
    Click here to download the form for printing and mailing
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report-PDE ($27)
    Click here to register online at the Cogent website. After you register online, you will need to visit a Cogent fingerprint facility. The Cogent website includes a map noting where these facilities are located throughout Pennsylvania. Based on this document, please get any required FBI checks through the Department of Human Services, not the Department of Education, as the SCA, Inc. is not a school. This also saves a bit on the cost ($25.75 vs. $27)
  • Proof of completion of online Mandated Reporter training (free)
    • Click here to access the course through the University of Pittsburgh; takes 2-3 hours to complete

When forms are completed on line, other than the Volunteer Exception Form which MUST be printed be signed, all of the certifications come as electronic documents by email or as a certificate that displays at the end of the process. As such, it should not be necessary to print and scan those documents. Be aware of this fact when working with the systems as it can be easy to miss where option to print, especially where it shows up at the end of the Mandated Reporter course.

NON- PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENTS:
If you have your state’s equivalent clearances (typically required for people in positions like teacher, coach, and medical personnel), then you may not need to obtain Pennsylvania clearances. However, you may be required to sign the “Volunteer Clearance Exception” statement noted above for PA residents.

If you do NOT have your state’s equivalent clearances, you may look into acquiring them in your state, or you may be able to obtain PA clearances using the list above for people who have not been continuous residents of PA for 10 years.

Thank you for your patience during these changing times.

YIS,
cori
Seneschale, AEthelmearc

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Pennsic for Kids

03 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by aethgazette in Pennsic, Youth Activities, Youth combat

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

arts & sciences, kids, Pennsic, Teen, Youth Activities, Youth combat

UPDATED FOR PENNSIC 50! Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope has brought her two children, now 24 and 27, to Pennsic every year since they were born. Here are some tips for making Pennsic fun for kids from babies to teens while avoiding making mom and dad crazy.

Note: Everyone has opinions about the “right” way to raise kids and/or deal with various things like diapering, feeding, sleeping, curfews, etc.. This article is not intended to promote any particular parenting choices. It’s simply a list of ideas for how to make Pennsic easier on you and more fun for your kids. Pick the ones that sound useful to you, ignore the ones that don’t. It’s all good.

Sending your kids to Camp Grandma for Pennsic? That’s great, if it’s an option, but not everyone can or wants to have a kid-free Pennsic. Here are some wa ys to have the best possible Pennsic experience with kids of various ages.

Know the Rules

Read the Pennsic Site Rules, especially the section on Troll Policies dealing with kids, before you go. Here are the highlights (but don’t take my word for it, go read them yourself!):

  • This year kids under 18 are once again permitted to attend Pennsic in the company of someone who is not their parent or legal guardian IF you have the correct, notarized paperwork designating you as that child’s guardian. This is a change from the last several years. Make sure to read the requirements listed here and have the proper signed, notarized form with you.
  • Kids under age 10 must be within sight/earshot of a parent or responsible adult or teen at all times. No exceptions. Parents, babysitters, teenage siblings, campmates, and friends are all acceptable supervision, but no wandering the site alone or being left in camp alone until age 10. And do not assume that your campmates will watch your kid unless they explicitly agree to do so.
  • All kids under 18 must be in their own camp or with a parent/guardian after 11pm. You can have your own, more restrictive curfew if you like; from ages 12-15, my kids’ curfew was dark. But 11pm is the latest that 10-17 year olds can be out without parents or guardians – and NOT just another responsible adult.
  • Parents or legal guardians must remain on site with their kids at all times. This means if you’re making a store run for beer or groceries, your child must go with you.
  • Fighters/Fencers ages 16–17 who are authorized to fight as adults must have a yellow diamond with their parent/guardian’s cell phone number on it affixed to the fighter’s helm or fencer’s gloves.  The parent must have their cell phone turned on during the battles/tourneys in which the minor participates. The purpose of this rule is to ensure that parents can be contacted immediately if the minor is injured, because First Aid responders won’t treat non-life-threatening injuries without a parent’s permission.
Youth fighting as adults must have their parents' cell phone numbers on yellow diamonds on their helmets. Photo by Mistress Arianna.

Youth fighting as adults must have their parents’ cell phone numbers on yellow diamonds on their helmets. For fencers, the diamond goes on the gauntlet. Photo by Arianna.

Babes in Arms

  • Keep them cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold. Babies are extra sensitive to temperature extremes.
    • On hot days, dress them in light natural fabrics, and keep an eye on their skin. If they start to look overheated, put a cool wet cloth on them. An inflatable kiddy pool, or even a basin with cool water that they can sit and splash in, will help keep them comfortable. Make sure to keep them out of direct sun; small babies shouldn’t have sunscreen applied to them, so a canopy on a stroller or cart is good protection. If you use a sling or backpack, put a lightweight hat on your baby to help shade their face and try to stay in the shade as much as possible.
    • On cold nights, dress them in layers and make sure to include a warm hat. If you’re into co-sleeping, placing the baby on your bed between mom and dad is a great way to keep them warm. If not, bring a pack-n-play or similar place for them to sleep safely, and dress them in multiple layers. A light-weight long sleeve footed onesie under a heavier winter weight sleeper, plus a warm hat that ties so it stays on, are preferable to blankets that they’ll just kick off anyway. On especially cold nights you may want to bring them into your bed even if you don’t normally co-sleep with your baby, but never co-sleep if you have been drinking alcohol or are otherwise impaired.
  • Transportation: You may think you want to bring a stroller, but unless it has extra-large wheels like a jogging stroller, it’s probably a bad bet for Pennsic. Pushing a stroller meant for sidewalks through mud or grass, up and down hills, and on gravel roads is no fun. A cart or wagon, backpack carrier, or a sling are better options. Some parents put cushions in a covered wagon so their kids can nap on the go while shaded from the sun.
stroller and cart

A jogging stroller or a cart are good options for transporting babies. Photos by Arianna and Mistress Ts’vee’a bas Tseepora Levi.

  • Prevent diaper rash. Pennsic is often hot. Hot baby bottoms get chafed. My eldest went from just fine to almost bleeding in only two hours at his first Pennsic. After that, I applied lots of Desitin proactively multiple times per day. I used so much, I should have bought stock in the company, but there were no more rashes.
  • Put them in garb. Babies in garb are adorable, and baby garb is really, really easy to make. There’s honestly no excuse not to make your baby some tunics, given how little fabric and time they take to sew. Make sure they are made of natural breathable fabrics like linen or cotton. One easy source of cheap baby tunic fabric that’s comfy and great in the heat: cloth diapers. Two clean cloth diapers make one T-tunic in about half an hour. Another cute thing you can make for your baby is lightweight cloth hoods. These are especially good for babies who don’t like to wear hats, as they’re harder to pull off if you have them tie under the chin. Bonus: they cover the back of the neck and shoulders, too.
Baby garb

Baby garb from diapers at left, a cotton hood at right. Photos by Arianna and Mistress Ts’vee’a.

  • Give your baby plenty of fluids. Babies will get dehydrated just like adults if they don’t get plenty to drink. Nursing is one of the easiest ways to do that, but bottles work fine, too.
  • Disguise mundane kids’ stuff. Use cloth to cover modern baby carriers and strollers, and make a medieval-looking diaper bag from pretty brocade or even a large leather pouch.
  • Aim for period-looking toys. Most modern baby toys are plastic, but there are merchants at Pennsic who sell wooden baby toys that are safe and help maintain a more medieval ambiance.
  • Be considerate of others. If your baby starts crying during a court, class, or performance, take them out of the tent or building if possible so they won’t disturb others. Try not to change diapers in public places, and dispose of dirty diapers in appropriate receptacles. Understand that some people simply aren’t into kids, and hang out with the folks who do like your baby.

Crawlers

  • Create a corral. A Pack n Play works great for a single kid. If your camp has multiple small kids, a rug with a baby gate “fence” that creates a safe zone can work well. Just don’t count on it to keep them safe (or even corralled!) without supervision.

Toddlers

  • Put a hat on them. You can use sunscreen on toddlers, but a straw hat is a good idea to keep the sun off.
  • Toddler helping

    Toddlers love to be “helpful.” Photo by Arianna.

    Give them a job. There’s nothing more dangerous and/or annoying than a bored toddler. Find something simple they can do to “help” while you’re setting up camp, making meals, or working on camp projects. They can sort small objects, fetch and carry light things, hold tools for adults, etc. Keep them busy and they will stay out of trouble. But keep an eye on them – sometimes they will “help’ in ways you don’t expect. One Pennsic when my eldest was two, we couldn’t figure out where all the screwdrivers had gone. Then at the end of the War we took down the pop-up canopy and discovered that he’d put the screwdrivers inside the hollow metal legs.

  • Teach them the meaning of “Hold”. One of the most important safety things for small kids to know at events is to freeze when someone calls “Hold.” This can prevent kids from doing dangerous things in a wide array of situations. Every SCA kid should know what “Hold” means!
  • Bring out “new” toys. We had special toys that only came out at Pennsic. They were the same toys every year, but when they were little, the kids didn’t remember them from the previous year, and when they were older, they looked forward to seeing their Pennsic toys again after a year’s hiatus. A Fisher-Price castle with toy knights and horses was a huge favorite, but there were also medieval-themed coloring books, bubbles, a wooden horse, and stuffed animals. When my kids outgrew their Pennsic toys, we passed them on to another family.
Pennsic toys

Special Pennsic toys seem “new” each year. Photo by Arianna.

  • Take them to the playground. Across from the bathhouse by the Cooper’s store, the playground has lots of fun equipment and a sandy surface suited to beach toys like cups for building sand castles. Just keep an eye out for older kids who may be a little too rough with toddlers.
  • Go on walks around the site. There are frogs and fish to look at in the lake, birds and insects in the woods, musicians in the marketplace and performing arts venues, and battles and tournaments to watch.
  • Make time for naps. Ideally, find a place outdoors in the shade, but any place that’s not too hot and fairly quiet will do. That said, accept that Pennsic is exciting and some kids just won’t want to nap. Tiring them out at the playground right before naptime can be a good strategy.
  • Attend the Pre-School Playgroup at the Playground. Beginning Wednesday of Peace week through Thursday of War week, there are sessions either in the morning from 10am to noon or afternoons from 2 to 4pm on even numbered days. Check the Pennsic University’s Thing for each day’s session, filtering the name column on “Pre-School Playgroup.”

Older kids (ages 5 to 12)

  • Give them an ID. Many people have their kids carry info that can help identify their home camp in case they accidentally get separated from you. A bracelet, favor, medallion, or tabard with your camp name, block, and a parent’s cell phone are great ideas. You can even write that info on the back of their Pennsic medallion or bracelet/anklet.
  • Teach your kids safe places and people they can go to for help – other moms with kids, people on golf carts (who will generally be Pennsic staff, possibly members of The Watch), the First Aid station, and most Kingdom camps. At age 7, my younger son wandered off and got lost while I was in a portajohn, but after a brief moment of panic he recognized Æthelmearc Royal as one of the landmarks he’d been taught and parked himself there until someone he knew came along and helped reunite us (thanks, Master Michael!).

For a complete list of activities aimed at kids, check out the Pennsic website’s page on Family Activities.

  • The Playground. Older kids can take full advantage of the climbing equipment.

  • The Children’s Fete is on Wednesday of War week from 10am – 1pm in the Great Hall. Hosted by the Kingdom of Atlantia, each year it features activities ranging from face painting and crafts to hobby horse races and opportunities to whack real knights with pool noodles.
Photo by Lord Darter the Chronicler.

Children’s Fete. Photo by Lord Darter the Chronicler.

  • The Children’s Choir rehearses from 1-2pm daily starting the middle Sunday in the Performing Arts Rehearsal tent behind the bathhouse, and performs at the Pennsic Choirs Concert on Thursday of War week at 6:30 in the Performing Arts Pavilion. It’s for children ages 3 or 4 to 11. A parent or responsible adult must attend rehearsals with the child.
  • The Pennsic Intrumental Youth Consort is open to all kids who play an instrument, with no audition required. Rehearsals run from 9-11am daily starting on Friday, August 4th, culminating in a concert on Thursday of War Week, so if your kid loves music, bring those violins and clarinets with you to Pennsic!
  • Children’s Dance classes are offered multiple times throughout Pennsic in the Dance tent at the corner of Dragon Trace and Chandler’s Road. Check the University class schedule for days and times. There’s even a Children’s Ball on Monday, August 7th from 9-11 am in the Dance Tent, with a rehearsal on Sunday at noon.
  • Bedtime stories are offered every night at 7pm in AS13 in the University block on St. Lawrence Way starting Monday of Peace week.
  • Youth Combat is held daily from 8:30 to 11am starting Thursday of War Week for kids ages 6-17. This year the Youth Combat List has moved to the south edge of the main battlefield. There are also special evening activities from 7-9 starting the middle Sunday. Kids don’t need to be authorized to fight at Pennsic, but there generally isn’t much loaner gear, so it’s best if you can arrange to bring your own armor and weapons. Parents must register their kids with the youth combat list the first time they visit. Kids under 10 must have a parent or responsible adult with them at all times; parents may designate other responsible adults when they register their kids for youth combat. In addition to the regular sessions, there are special tourneys and events throughout War week, including:
    • Night with the Knights on Tuesday from 6-8pm
    • Tarl’s Youth Polearm tourney on Monday from 6-8pm
    • Known World Baronial Youth Champs Tourney on Tuesday at 12 noon
    • Æthelmearc Youth/Adult Tag Team Tourney on Wednesday from 6-8pm
    • Castle Battle on Thursday from 8am-noon. Youth Fighters must have attended at least one other fighting session to participate in the Castle Battle
YC Good

Youth Combat is held from 8-11 am. Kids need to bring their own armor and weapons. Photo by Arianna.

  • Youth Rapier combat is also available on the battlefield from 9am to 1pm daily starting on Wednesday, August 2nd. Check in with the Youth Rapier Marshal-in-Charge. Some loaner gear is available.
  • The Archery Range has a special family range where kids ages 14 and under can shoot at age-appropriate targets and distances. Again, you need to bring your own equipment, or you can buy bows, arrows, etc. from merchants on site.
  • Thrown Weapons allows participation by kids age 5 and up. Youth under 18 need to be registered at the range by a parent or legal guardian before they throw for the first time, and the parent or legal guardian must stay at the range with those under 12 at all times. Once registered, those 12 and older can be at the range without a parent or legal guardian. Throwers must wear footwear that covers the soles of their feet; closed-toe shoes are recommended. There is no loaner equipment. There’s a youth axe-throwing class on Friday August 3 from 10-11am and Tuesday at 4pm for kids ages 5-12, with a tournament later in the week.
  • The Children’s Water Battle is on Wednesday from noon-2 at the fort – bring your own super soakers and water balloons, though water will be available at the battle. No balloon catapults – they hurt!
  • Youth University classes are aimed specifically at kids, like the class on Secret Codes and Messages that’s being offered on Tuesday of Peace Week at 1pm at Family Point, or Medieval Doll-making on Monday of War week from 10-11am at Family Point by the Playground, while other classes are not specifically for kids but may appeal to kids with specific interests. You can view the University class list at Thing online by going to http://thing.pennsicuniversity.org/, clicking Schedules, and then selecting the format you like. If you download the schedule as an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, you can filter it to show the Youth/Teen University options under the track column that are just for kids.
  • Perform with the Youth Theater. Rehearsal is in the Amphitheatre below the bathhouse from 10-11am starting Sunday, August 5th, Friday of War week, with a dress rehearsal at noon on the last Friday of Pennsic and the performance at 5pm.
  • Attend the Æthelmearc Youth Party. Held on Saturday, August 6 at 5pm in the Æthelmearc Royal encampment on Brewers near the First Aid pavilion, a block from Troll, it will feature drinks, food, games, and entertainment. Parents and guardians should attend with their young people.
  • Work for the Pennsic Independent selling newspapers each day for a commission and tips. Their office is located on the Great Middle Highway across from Runestone Park. Kids under 10 need to have a parent with them.
  • Review the “Mom I’m Bored!” column of the Pennsic Independent, which lists kids activities for each day.

Tweens (10-12)

Once kids turn 10, they become “free range,” which means they are permitted to walk around without a parent or other adult supervising them. But don’t just set them loose without a little education.

  • Teach them to navigate the site. It’s easy for kids to get lost and panic their first few times out alone at Pennsic. Walk the site with them while they navigate, making sure they know how to find their way around. I recommend printing the site map, marking your camp on it, and having your kid keep it in a pouch so they can always get help finding their way home.
  • Make sure they know where the safe spaces are. It’s helpful to know other places they can go: the Cooper’s store, your local group or Kingdom camp, other friends’ camps, and places like the University, First Aid, and the Watch with lots of helpful adults.

It’s also a good idea to make sure your tweens have money and/or a water bottle so they don’t get dehydrated while out on their own.

There are lots of activities that tweens can participate in. Some of the ones listed above for younger kids, like youth combat, youth rapier, archery, dancing, and the Water Battle, are all great for older kids, too. Some activities are aimed specifically at tweens and teens:

  • Join the Known World Adventurers’ Guild. Starting Sunday July 31 and meeting every day from 10:3am to noon at Family Point, kids ages 10 and up will walk around Pennsic with Mistress Marian of Heatherdale, learning about people and places, alternating days with social gatherings to discuss what they’ve found.
  • The Youth Choir rehearses daily from 2-3pm starting the middle Sunday in the University Battlefield tent, and performs at the Pennsic Choirs Concert on Thursday of War week at 6:30 in the Performing Arts Pavilion. It’s for kids ages 12-19.
The Youth Choir. Photo by Mistress Arianna.

The Youth Choir. Photo by Mistress Arianna.

  • The Gaming tent is located next to the European Dance tent on Chandler Rd., and offers board games of all kinds for both kids and adults.
  • Many Youth University classes may appeal to older kids. There are youth-oriented classes ranging from serious, like a D&D campaign for teens, to artsy like Fingerloop Braiding on Tuesday of Peace week at 10 am at Family Point, or Origami Dragons on .  Check out the class list for more info.
  • Make some money selling ice and/or picking up trash. Bring a cart or wagon and fetch ice from the Coopers’ store or pick up trash from camps and take it to the dumpsters. Some kids cry their services as they walk around the camp, but if you offer to supply specific camps and merchants with ice or trash pickup for the entire week, you’ll have guaranteed steady customers. The farther from the store, the more money you can charge for ice, but of course the farther you have to walk. It’s important to be reliable!
  • Visit the Teen/Tween Lounge at Family Point. There are a variety of activities including Game Night on Thursday evening of Peace Week from 7-10 pm, a teen LGBTQ+ social on Sunday August 6 from 7-11pm, and a Bardic Circle on Tuesday, August 8 from 7-11pm.
  • Busking – kids with musical or juggling talent often  perform for coins from passers-by. Do not use the path along Troll Road from the Food Court to the store; busking is no longer allowed there. Look for signs saying “This is a Performance Area” which will be posted in various merchant areas.
Buskers can earn cash from passers-by. Photo by Master Augusto Giuseppe da San Donatol.

Buskers can earn coins from passers-by. Photo by Master Augusto Giuseppe da San Donatol.

Teens (13-19)

Teenagers can sometimes end up spending their time a little aimlessly at Pennsic, often hanging out in groups not doing very much.  While there’s safety in numbers, especially after dark, you probably want them to find more variety in their activities at Pennsic. In addition to encouraging them to continue participating in many of the activities above, parents can point them at additional opportunities not open to younger kids:

  • Perform in the Youth Commedia del’Arte show, doing improv comedy.  Rehearsals are held in the Amphitheatre from 9 to 10am starting August 6th, with a dress rehearsal at 1pm on the last Friday of Pennsic and the performance at 6pm.
  • Play Capture the Flag. Head for Rapier List 1 on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 8:30 pm for Capture the Flag – with glowsticks! Ages 13-17.
  • Attend concerts and plays in the Performing Arts tent. Every evening and many afternoons there are bards, choirs, instrumentalists, dancers, and plays with medieval themes. Check the performing arts info on the Pennsic website here.
  • Work for pay at merchants or as a Pennsic Minion. Lots of teens earn good money working at Pennsic. Join the Pennsic Minions’ Union Facebook page or you can approach various merchants on your own, either before Pennsic or after you arrive. Merchants often need help with set up and tear down, and a few of the food merchants hire adults and teens to work shifts throughout the war. Master Bovi farmaðr, who runs Delights of Cathay, hires teens 17 years of age and up to work at his booth. You can also babysit for people with younger kids.
  • Do some service for your group or the entire War. Teens can retain for their barons and/or royalty, help set up Pennsic venues like Performing Arts, assist at troll, or help staff the University Point, Lost and Found, or Information Point.

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Society Guidelines on Youth Activities in Pennsylvania

03 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by aethgazette in Corporate News, Tidings, Youth Activities, Youth combat

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Child Protection, Pennsylvania, SCA, Youth Activities, Youth combat

sca_armsThe Gazette is distributing the letter from the Society Seneschal regarding youth activities in Pennsylvania via the East Kingdom Earl Marshal. We expect a statement from within Æthelmearc to be issued soon, and will post that when it becomes available.


The following information has been forwarded to the East Kingdom by Baron Sir Jibril al-Dakhil, Earl Marshal of the East Kingdom, on behalf of the Society Seneschal, with instructions to distribute widely.

Below are the Society’s Guidelines:

A.J. Pongratz
Society Seneschal
Vice President of Operations, SCA Inc.

In reviewing the official website of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services and the recent statute with other officers and agents of the SCA, I have determined that this statute will not impact on Heavy Combat or Rapier Combat by minor children of the age of 16 or 17 nor youth activities.

An adult volunteer responsible for the welfare of a child or having direct contact with children you will need clearances beginning July 1, 2015; if approved as a volunteer before July 1, 2015, the volunteer has until July 1, 2016, to get an FBI clearance. Volunteers responsible for the welfare of a child or having direct contact with children can include:

  • Parent/Guardian chaperones for schools
  • Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts
  • Agency volunteers that help with transportation or other services
  • Big Brothers/Big Sisters
  • Literacy programs
  • Little League
  • Coaches
  • Church Sunday school teachers, child event coordinators
  • Hospital volunteers working with children

In determining if a volunteer is responsible for the welfare of a child, only a volunteer acting in lieu of or on behalf of a parent, will need clearances. It is important to note that in SCA combat and youth activities, the parent of the child is effectively required to be present and that the marshal merely officiates over the safety of the heavy and rapier field. The rules set forth in the Seneschal’s Handbook regarding Youth Activities, including Youth Combat, the SCA, its officers and agents do not maintain care and custody of a minor child; unlike Boy Scout Leaders and coaches, SCA volunteers do not have care and custody of minor children. As the Seneschal’s Handbook (part of the SCA’s Governing Documents) indicates that no officer or agent may, under color of authority, may be in loco parentis (in the place of the parents):

X. DEALING WITH MINOR/YOUTH-RELATED POLICIES
3. Parents or guardians of minors shall have ultimate responsibility for the welfare and behavior of their children at all times. It is the responsibility of the adult who brings a minor to an event to ensure that the minor is safe and not in danger. At events and activities in which youth participate in any way, participating minors must either have a parent or legal guardian present at the event/activity, or a temporary guardian present in possession of a properly executed ―Medical Authorization Form for Minors. This Medical Authorization Form must designate an adult present at the event or activity as able to authorize medical treatment in the case of emergency (a form of temporary
guardianship).

As no officer or agent of the SCA may provide care, guidance, supervision or control of children in an official capacity. no volunteer acting in an official capacity by and for the SCA is covered by the “new” Pennsylvania statute by virtue of the fact that our volunteers are not “acting in lieu of or on behalf of a parent”; however, if the SCA volunteer has direct contact with children because they provide routine interaction with children as an integral aspect of their volunteer position, e.g. Youth Officer or Youth Marshal, the individual must receive an FBI background check in excess of the standard SCA background check.

While some may question the concept of the “routine interaction with children” language, the Pennsylvania State Department of Health and Safety indicated that consideration should be given to what the volunteer’s role is within the agency. Is their contact with children regular, ongoing contact that is integral to their volunteer responsibilities? Clearly contact with youth is anticipated by Youth Officers and Youth Marshals; however, those individuals that do not have direct contact with children as an integral to their volunteer responsibilities, e.g. Marshals, Heralds, Gate Staff/Watch/ Constables, Arts and Sciences Officers, Exchequers and Seneschals, need not obtain a clearance. Furthermore, there is a proposed amendment to clean up this language of this law by changing the definition of “direct contact” to mean that an individual provides care, supervision, guidance or control of children –AND- has routine interaction with children. The current definition in law uses the word “or” instead of “and”, but changing the definition will significantly narrow the universe of volunteers required to obtain the background checks (Youth Marshals and Youth Officers would be exempt), but this has not yet been enacted.

All prospective Youth Officer and Youth Marshal for Æthelmearc and the East Kingdom must obtain the following:

  • Report of criminal history from the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP); and
  • Child Abuse History Clearance from the Department of Human Services (Child Abuse).

Additionally, a fingerprint based federal criminal history (FBI) submitted through the Pennsylvania State Police or its authorized agent is required if the position the for is a paid position and the volunteer has lived outside Pennsylvania in the last 10 years.

From now until July 24, 2015:

  • The PSP criminal history clearance costs $10
  • The Child Abuse clearance costs $10
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) federal criminal history clearance costs $25.75 through the Department of Human Services (DHS)

Beginning July 25, 2015:

  • The PSP criminal history clearance costs $0
  • The Child Abuse clearance costs $0
  • The FBI federal criminal history clearance costs $25.75 through DHS

Volunteers who are not required to obtain the FBI Clearance because they are applying for an unpaid position and have been a continuous resident of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years must swear or affirm in writing that they are not disqualified from service based upon a conviction of an offense under §6344 to be placed in the custody of the Kingdom Seneschal.

If a volunteer is arrested for or convicted of an offense that would constitute grounds for denying participation in a program, activity or service, or is named as a perpetrator in a founded or indicated report, the volunteer must provide the administrator or their designee with written notice not later than 72 hours after the arrest, conviction or notification that the person has been listed as a perpetrator in the statewide database. A volunteer who willfully fails to disclose information as required above commits a misdemeanor of the third degree and shall be subject to discipline up to and including termination or denial of a volunteer position.

Individuals who reside in another state or country may serve as a volunteer for no more than 30 days as long as they provide clearances from their state or country of residence. If the individual will be volunteering for more than 30 days, they must obtain clearances as outlined above under “Which clearances are needed.” Volunteers who reside in Pennsylvania do not have a provisional period and must obtain clearances as outlined above under “Which clearances are needed.” As Pennsic is less than 30 days, there is no need to have any volunteer from another state have a background check in excess of what is required in their own home state.

While Youth Marshals and Youth Officers should apply for a background check through the Department of Human Services, the monitoring and maintenance of Background Check Clearances, the responsibility for maintaining Youth Marshal and Youth Officer background checks should be monitored and maintained by the Kingdom Seneschals. I will leave it to the respective Seneschals to determine the method for maintaining and monitoring the clearance status in a reasonable manner for at least 3 years.

All Child Abuse clearance information is confidential and may not be released to other individuals. The Kingdom Seneschal must monitor and must maintain the paper work related to the background clearance; however, this information is confidential and can only be shared with another officer for an official purposes. As such, it should be up to the individual to obtain a background check and then submit the clearance to the appropriate Kingdom Officer. Upon submission of the clearance, the marshal or officer submitting to the check can either chose to tender the results to the Marshal or Seneschal (if they pass) or not tender the results (if they do not pass). Every individual who tenders the results should be reimbursed. In terms of maintaining the results of the check (whether the individual in question passes or does not pass), such results must be considered confidential.

Respectfully submitted this 1st day of July, 2015.

A.J. Pongratz
Society Seneschal,
V.P. Operations SCA, Inc.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Æthelmearc Gazette

Æthelmearc Gazette

Categories

  • 50 Year
  • A&S Champs
  • A&S Competition and Display
  • A&S Faire
  • AE 300
  • AEcademy
  • AELive
  • Announcements
  • Aoife's Links
  • Archery
  • Arts & Sciences
  • Autocratting
  • Awards
  • Æthelmeac Æcademy
  • Æthelmearc History
  • Bardic
  • Book Reviews
  • Brewing
  • Camping
  • Combat Archery
  • Competitions
  • Cooking
  • Corporate News
  • Costuming
  • Court Reports
  • Crown Tourney
  • Dance
  • demos
  • donations
  • Equestrian
  • Esoterica
  • Event Announcements & Updates
  • Event Reports
  • Feast
  • Fencing
  • Fiber Arts
  • Food
  • Food pantry
  • Foresters Guild
  • Forestry
  • Gaming & Fun
  • Gulf Wars
  • Heavy List
  • Heraldry
  • Herbalism
  • Humor
  • Ice Dragon
  • In memoriam
  • Interviews
  • Kingdom News
  • KMOAS
  • Largesse
  • Music
  • Newcomers
  • Officer Announcements
  • Pennsic
  • Poetry & Prose
  • Populace-in-focus
  • Quarterly reports
  • Queen's Rapier
  • Rapier
  • Research
  • Royalty
  • SCA @ Home
  • SCA History
  • SCA Shop Talk
  • Scribal
  • Service
  • Siege
  • Teaching
  • The AEthelmearc 300
  • Thrown Weapons
  • Tidings
  • Uncategorized
  • Youth Activities
  • Youth combat

RSS The Æthelmearc Gazette

  • Planning An Event? Include Equestrian!
  • Call for Letters of Intent – Kingdom Minister of Arts & Sciences
  • First Court Report of Andreas and Kallista at Their Coronation April 1, 2023

Powered by WordPress.com.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: