FIRST Youth Protection Program

[sanddrag]

So I'm going through the process, and was not pleased by Pages 3 and 4 of the Privacy Policy (PDF) on the Verified Volunteers website.

I will most certainly be sending an opt-out e-mail and I recommend every else do the same. Pretty shady to involuntarily be opted-in to selling your information to advertizing companies and debt collection agencies.

Okay FIRST, can we now get a Mentor Protection Program that protects us from having our personal information sold by your volunteer verification company?

Also, it doesn't work in FireFox. Chrome seems ok.

[Gregor]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

So I'm going through the process, and was not pleased by Pages 3 and 4 of the Privacy Policy (PDF) on the Verified Volunteers website.

I will most certainly be sending an opt-out e-mail and I recommend every else do the same. Pretty shady to involuntarily be opted-in to selling your information to advertizing companies and debt collection agencies.

Okay FIRST, can we now get a Mentor Protection Program that protects us from having our personal information sold by your volunteer verification company?

Also, it doesn't work in FireFox. Chrome seems ok.

From page 4.

If you wish to opt-out of sharing your Personal Information with third party marketers for their own and third party direct marketing purposes, please send an email with your name and address to TheAdvocates@verifiedvolunteers.com.Information Security.

If I'm reading that correctly, by default people's information is being forwarded to third party marketers.

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Gregor

If I'm reading that correctly, by default people's information is being forwarded to third party marketers.

That's how I read it, and I don't like it.

[techtiger1]

I mean you guys are reading into this like your information isn't public already. Cell phone companies sell your info to 3rd parties all the time and pretty much everyone here has some form of social media. The real test will be to see if the opt out actually works. Meaning that FIRST is actually protecting your information rather then just covering themselves legally. Which at the end of the day is all the YPP and this other stuff is.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by techtiger1

I mean you guys are reading into this like your information isn't public already. Cell phone companies sell your info to 3rd parties all the time and pretty much everyone here has some form of social media. The real test will be to see if the opt out actually works. Meaning that FIRST is actually protecting your information rather then just covering themselves legally. Which at the end of the day is all the YPP and this other stuff is.

Sorry but, no. Even if other people are selling my information I don't have to like it or allow everyone else to do it.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by techtiger1

I mean you guys are reading into this like your information isn't public already.

No, we're reading into it like it's our information and it should be private by default.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by magnets

be careful and have common sense when you're dealing with people to avoid bad situations.

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

just keep your eyes open and follow common-sense guidelines.

There is no common sense when it comes to law and lawyers.

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

we maintained the "two mentor" rule. It protects the students, and it protects us.

Indeed. Protect yourself from false claims, protect your kids from real claims. Try really hard to avoid situations where it is one's word against the other's.

That being said, also read whatever it is you write and imagine how it could be re-interpreted in court. leave no room for later re-interpretation where possible.

[martin417]

Since the team I was working with back in 2012 did not have a teacher sponsor, I became the main team contact. The following year, the team did not compete (due to lack of teacher sponsor). I have since moved on to another team. This year, the original team has found a sponsor and wishes to compete. They sent me an email and asked me to invite the new sponsor as the main team contact. I figured it would be as simple as quickly logging into TIMS and making the invite. I was forced to watch a video that I didn't have time for, then allowed into TIMS. I was then forced down a long and winding path that eventually led me another website where I was asked for much personal information. When they asked for my social security number, I drew the line. This is becoming far too intrusive. I am already in violation of this new policy since I have contact with many current and former students through social media (including this website).

I resent being treated as a criminal or a child molester just because I volunteer my time to help these kids. I sent an email to FIRST and asked them to change the main team contact. I hope that works. I will have to think long and hard about whether I will become involved with FIRST this year if this is required. After the fiasco that was last years' game, I was already wondering if FIRST is heading in a direction that I don't want to follow. This new policy seems to reinforce that worry.

[mklinker]

For those complaining about the new Youth Protection Guidelines please ask yourselves the following:

How many students being molested by an Adult is too many? Do you really think that this has never happened in FIRST? Is it really not worth your time to further guarantee the safety of the youth involved?

Yes, the video is long and asking for your SSN in intrusive but the SSN is what is used to do a limited criminal history check. This has been done in other youth organizations for some time (Boy Scouts for example). Ask BSA how much it cost them when they did NOT have a solid youth protection program implemented.

For those concerned with the selling of data the opt out process is simple.

On an unrelated note....Last years game was GREAT (The best in the last three seasons)....It forced teams to work together

[Tungrus]

"It's not me! I think it's the other guy!" or "It's not me! Oh! it's the other guy!"

Well, since this happens every time there is a bad situation, I would rather have that "other guy" checked out well before something bad happens! If I want the other guy checked out, what are the chances that the "other guy" must be thinking same about me? So why not check out everyone and make sure that the kids that we take responsibility to inspire and be a role model, are safe? I cannot suspect everyone, and also cannot trust everyone! End of the day I just don't want any kid to go through any kind of abuse.

About information sharing, yes, my personal information is all around the world, unfortunately! But I am not willing to give a blanket permission for everyone to share (not sure how to stop them sharing though). But I considered FIRST as our FIRST, and I expect them to not share personal info except for the third party background checking. I think that's what FIRST intended (I don't see any reason why FIRST will sell it to telemarketers or scammers), wording is probably coming from lawyer. Also I hope that FIRST ensures the third party is not going to misuse our information.

About team members signing up, did anyone notice that main or alt contact must invite the parents and they would in turn do some magic to allow students to sign up, or was it just me that got tired of reading that stuff?

[FrankJ]

Yes one of the contacts has to invite kids & parents. Parent must register & consent before the kid can register. Every year. Not new. It has to do with the waiver not so much the YP.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by mklinker

How many students being molested by an Adult is too many?

One is too many

Originally Posted by mklinker

Do you really think that this has never happened in FIRST?

I doubt many here believe that this has never happened in FIRST.

Originally Posted by mklinker

Is it really not worth your time to further guarantee the safety of the youth involved?

Nothing in the YPP guarantees the safety of the youths involved. The YPP protects FIRST from some lawsuits, nothing more.

Originally Posted by mklinker

Yes, the video is long and asking for your SSN in intrusive but the SSN is what is used to do a limited criminal history check. This has been done in other youth organizations for some time (Boy Scouts for example). Ask BSA how much it cost them when they did NOT have a solid youth protection program implemented.

For those concerned with the selling of data the opt out process is simple.

SSNs are, by law, not to be used as a national ID. They are to be used only for tax and employment reasons.

And as far as selling of my personal information goes ... it is my information to give. I should inform someone when they can use it (opt in), not have to tell someone when they cannot use it (opt out).

I've had many background checks in my time. Never have I had one where I've had to opt out of allowing them to use it for solicitation. FIRST has, while trying to protect itself, sold out it's greatest resource ... the mentors.

JM(NS)HO

[mklinker]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

Nothing in the YPP guarantees the safety of the youths involved. The YPP protects FIRST from some lawsuits, nothing more.
JM(NS)HO

Really? The training discusses safety for both the student AND the mentor. I suggest watching the video once again. YP training ALSO protects FIRST from some lawsuits and also provides you a small amount of protection as well. More importantly following the suggested guidelines will protect students and prevent you from being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviors. In addition, the youth protection programs makes it harder for known offenders to gain access to the youth.

[jee7s]

I'm going to join the cynic choir here:

The FIRST YPP is a largely redundant program designed to protect FIRST from lawsuits, as others have said. Most of the organizations that sponsor teams (schools, 4H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc) have these programs and safety mechanisms already in place. YPP covers FIRST for things that may (but hopefully never will) happen at events and establishes those same guidelines for teams that don't have sponsoring organizations that already implement those practices.

I do agree the opt-out mechanism is really out of line. When I've needed a background check for employment or other legitimate reasons, every form I've signed includes some language like "the information you provide here will only be used to verify your background for the purposes of the offer of employment." I didn't have to check a box to tell them to not use it for other purposes. And until I had to fill out the W-4 and I-9, I didn't hand over my social security number either.

Practically speaking, YPP can't be doing nearly as thorough a job as the individual sponsoring organizations can do. If I had to guess, it's a cursory criminal and arrest record check. Organizations I have dealt with in the past both as an employee and volunteer had me verify addresses going back to my 18th birthday, and called up every job and educational institution I had attended to make sure I had actually been there. That's the value in the background check: Verify the person's story, and if it doesn't align ask more questions. The cost to do that at a FIRST-wide level would be huge.

So FIRST, please cover yourself legally. But don't pitch it to us like there's any benefit in it for mentors and volunteers.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by mklinker

Really? The training discusses safety for both the student AND the mentor. I suggest watching the video once again. YP training ALSO protects FIRST from some lawsuits and also provides you a small amount of protection as well. More importantly following the suggested guidelines will protect students and prevent you from being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviors. In addition, the youth protection programs makes it harder for known offenders to gain access to the youth.

discussing safety and guaranteeing safety are two very different things.

Do I believe that a background check is a good idea? Yes, I do, and I'd be concerned if a team did NOT ask for one.
Do I think that the YPP training is a good idea? again yes, it provides a good starting point and informs novice mentors about things that they need to think about (and hopefully never have to deal with).
Does it guarantee a students safety? no, no canned program will.