| Guidelines for Children and Teens |
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The mission of the SWZC Children's Program is to ensure the emotional, physical and spiritual safety and care of all children and teens in the community. We will provide a safe, loving space to encourage children to participate, share and enjoy their time at SWZC.
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- The primary responsibility for a child’s safety lies with his or her parent and/ or legal guardian. Members of the SWZC community need to respect this role of a parent by assuring themselves that the parent is involved in decisions and informed about activities whenever it is possible and appropriate. Likewise, it is the parent’s responsibility to monitor their child’s activities and be available to be contacted about matters involving their children as much as is possible and appropriate. This includes but is not limited to making sure that a member of the community knows how to contact them should a situation arise.
- It is the responsibility of the adults in the community to set appropriate and reasonable boundaries in their interactions with young people. Adults must not use children and teens to meet their own emotional needs, i.e. being a confidante, filling loneliness, etc.
- It is inappropriate for there to be secrets between adults in the community and children. The young person’s parents need to be invited to be included in any conversations about sensitive issues such as sex, substance use, or illegal activities.
- Parents should know where their children are. It is the responsibility of the adults to assure themselves that the parents know where the children are when spending time with a child.
- There is a curfew of 9PM for children and teens to be out unaccompanied by a parent at SWZC.
- Computer use by a person under the age of 18 must be supervised by an adult.
- Sex with minors is prohibited under any circumstances, as is any illegal activity. Any adult having sexual feelings toward a minor has the duty to bring those feelings up in dokusan and/or to the attention of the Guardian Council.
- All adults at SWZC are expected to commit themselves to promptly communicating with a young person’s parent if they see something in relation to the child that causes them concern.
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