The Boy Scouts of America and Suwannee River Area Council take great pride in the quality of our adult leadership. Being a leader in the BSA is a privilege, not a right. The quality of our program and the safety
of our youth members call for high-quality adult leaders. We work closely with our chartered organizations to help recruit the best possible leaders for their units.
The BSA’s rigorous volunteer application and screening process works toward the goal of having all our adult volunteers represent the values and character outlined in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. It includes local selection and screening, national criminal background checks, and verification that the applicant is not listed in the Ineligible Volunteer Files maintained by the National Council. Unfortunately, there is no current screening technique that can identify and screen out everyone who is unfit for Scout leadership, but the quality of our volunteer base is significantly enhanced by learning as much as possible about an applicant for a leadership position.
Learn more specific information from our main Youth Protection page at: http://www.suwanneeriver.net/Youth Protection
Mandatory Youth Protection Training for Adult Volunteers
Youth protection is of paramount importance to the Boy Scouts of America and the Suwannee River Area Council. Recognizing that this commitment requires sustained vigilance, the BSA and SRAC have continued to develop and enhance its efforts to protect youth.
Did you know that … ?
- Youth Protection training is required for all BSA registered volunteers, regardless of their position.
- New leaders are required to take Youth Protection training before submitting an application for registration. The certificate of completion for this training must be submitted at the time the application is made and before volunteer service with youth begins.
- Youth Protection training must be taken every two years. If a volunteer’s Youth Protection training record is not current at the time of recharter, the volunteer will not be reregistered.
Youth Protection training is designed to help you keep our youth safe from abuse. You will learn the Boy Scouts of America’s Youth Protection Guidelines, signs of abuse, and how to report suspected abuse. After each section of material, you will answer questions about that section’s topic. There is also a Venturing Youth Protection training especially for leaders in the Venturing Program. This course must be completed to earn the “Trained” emblem that is worn on your uniform. Completion is noted automatically in the BSA training records database if the module is experienced online. Estimated time to complete: 40 minutes.
Ok, now that I’ve understand what it is and why it’s important…. What do I do now?
- Create a “My Scouting” account at < https://myscouting.scouting.org>
- Even if you have an account already, please keep reading…
- Ensure that the account is linked with a valid e-mail address that you use regularly, so that important updates on this training can be sent to you, such as expiration notices
- Ensure that your BSA member ID for all positions that you hold are linked to the profile for this account, so that when you re-take this training or take other training, such as “position specific” training, it is automatically credited in your BSA membership records.
- You can find your member ID on your BSA membership card
- If you need help with your member ID, please ask the person that completes the re-chartering for your unit or call the office at 850-576-4146.
- Click on e-Learning under the Training topic on the left
- The first training opportunity listed will be Youth Protection
- If the colored dot next to the Youth Protection Training is not green:
- Please take the training now, so that you can be credited as being current.
- NOTE for VENTURING LEADERS: There is a Venturing Specific YPT module, please take that training module, if you are a registered Venturing Leader.
Please take time now, to ensure that your training on this important topic is current, if it’s expired or about to expire (within the next 6-8 months), please RE-TAKE THE COURSE NOW! It only takes about 30 minutes to complete.
Documents
Youth Protection Begins With You Document
How to Take Youth Protection Online Document
Setting Up a MyScouting.org Account
Key Resources
Guide to Safe Scouting: The purpose of the Guide to Safe Scouting is to prepare adult leaders to conduct Scouting activities in a safe and prudent manner.
It Happened to Me: Cub Scout Meeting Guide: Video Facilitator Guides. A sample letter to parents and guardians as well as English and Spanish meeting guides for facilitators’ use when showing the age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention video.
A Time to Tell: Troop Meeting Guide: Video Facilitator Guides. English and Spanish meeting guides for facilitators’ use when showing the age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention video.
Youth Protection Meeting Guide: (Venturing Program)
Video Facilitator Guides. A sample letter to parents and guardians as well as English and Spanish meeting guides for facilitators’ use when showing the age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention video.
Camp Leadership … A Guide for Camp Staff and Unit Leaders 
Brochure for unit leaders and camp staff who are responsible for providing a safe and healthy camp setting where Scouts are free from the worries of child abuse.