Safety
Join Our Commitment to Safety in Scouting
Scouting America’s Commitment to Safety is ongoing and we want you to know that the safety of our youth, volunteers, staff, and employees cannot be compromised. Scouting America puts the utmost importance on the safe and healthy environments for its youth membership. The Northern New Jersey Council takes great strides to ensure the safety of its youth as well as the adult volunteer leadership that interacts with them.
Health and safety must be integrated into everything we do, to the point that no injuries are acceptable beyond those that are readily treatable by Scout-rendered first aid.
Few youth organizations encompass the breadth, volume, and diversity of physical activity common to Scouting, and none enjoy a better safety record. The key to maintaining and improving this exemplary record is the conscientious and trained adult leader who is attentive to safety concerns.
Keep Your YPT Training Up to Date
Scouters may complete this training module through the “My.Scouting.org” portal. First-time users to MyScouting must set up an account and password. From the My.Scouting.org portal, click on E-Learning and take the Youth Protection training.
Meet Our Chief Safety Officer
Bruce Kuipers has been a safety professional for over 35 years. He is a retired law enforcement officer from a municipal police agency in Bergen County, New Jersey after 25 years of service and has been a Scouter for over 10 years as Scoutmaster and Ramapo Valley District Chair. He was the Logistics and Safety Officer for the New Jersey March of Dimes Walk for Babies event in Mahwah for over 20 years. During his tenure as a police officer, he was head of the Traffic Bureau in Mahwah and addressed traffic safety issues as part of his position and is also a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and Instructor, safely installing over 1,000 child safety seats and distributing over 1,000 booster seats. His two sons are both Eagle Scouts and continue to practice the principals learned in Scouting every day.
Ask Bruce your safety questions at [email protected]
Getting Started
Knowing what activities are age-appropriate for your next Scouting activity is critically important. The Boy Scouts of America has developed these guidelines on many factors related to both the physical and cognitive abilities of youth at different ages. When planning an activity that is outside of Scouting program materials or handbooks, you should refer to the BSA Age-Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities and the Guide to Safe Scouting.
Keeping safety in the forefront for all involved should be a priority. Including a Safety Moment at each Scout meeting is an opportunity to prepare everyone for an activity and to review safety measures. The National Scouting America Council has produced a series of two minute safety topics to introduce important topics and create an awareness for potential risks.
