Youth Policy Statement
It is the mission of the Society "to enrich lives through singing." In fulfilling that mission, the Society, its subsidiaries, districts, chapters, and members sponsor and/or participate in a wide range of activities involving young persons.
In keeping with the Society's commitment to maintain high standards of personal conduct by its members and to provide a wholesome environment in which the activities of the Society and its subordinate units take place, and in order to support and sustain the Society's good name and reputation in the communities that it serves, the Society Board of Directors has adopted this Youth Policy Statement for all Participants in Youth Activities.
This Youth Policy shall apply to all activities of the Society or any of its subsidiaries, districts, and chapters, and to all activities of Society members where they are (or may reasonably be expected to be) identified as being members of, or acting on behalf of, the Society...when such activities...involve (or may be anticipated to involved) participation by Youth.
Youth Participation Forms/Templates
Please contact customerservice@barbershop.org with questions.
BHS Youth Participation Form, revised June 2024
Voluntary Disclosure
A voluntary disclosure statement is a statement signed by the chaperone, member, or other such party attesting, at the minimum, that they have not been convicted of any violent crimes or crimes against children. This statement is legally binding and will be used in lieu of a background check.
Frequently Asked Questions
On the Training Process
Why do we have Youth Protection Training and what is it?
- Youth Protection Training is an awareness training required by our insurance company to help mitigate risk associated with youth activities.
- It will require roughly an hour of your time to watch the video and complete the quiz.
- Once complete, you will receive a certificate of completion that you can provide your chapter, event coordinator, or other leaders.
- The training is assigned and managed through Abuse Prevention Systems.
How do we register or sign up for Youth Protections Training?
- A chapter leader should send an email to customerservice@barbershop.org with a .csv attachment of the names and emails of those who need to complete the training.
- The Customer Service Team will manually assign those parties training via email.
What is the governing Society document controlling this process and procedure?
The only official document governing these changes is our Youth Policy. The rest of these processes are related to procedures the Society is improving to express our commitment to the Youth Policy and may be subject to change as time goes by.
Who keeps track of the members who have completed the awareness training?
- Customer Service maintains a list of everyone who completes the training. Please email customerservice@barbershop.org for additional information.
What is the guarantee of confidentiality on the information on the Youth Membership Form and Voluntary Disclosure Statement?
- All membership-related documents, including the Youth Membership Form, are accessible to BHS staff only, and sensitive information contained therein is never shared without the permission of the party or parties indicated in the document. Signature of the document does not constitute this permission.
We have a youth event this year, do we need to take the Youth Protection Training?
- Yes. All camp leaders, section leaders, and clinicians will be required to take the training.
- Any other volunteer staff that plan to work your event that may have any contact with youth, even if limited, should also take the youth protection training in order to mitigate risk associated with a youth event.
We have two youth events this year, do we need to take the Youth Protection Training twice?
- The youth protection training certificate is good for one calendar year. If anyone from your team has taken the training within the last 364 calendar days, they may show you their valid certificate.
- All certificates are contained online through Abuse Prevention Systems. They can access their certificates at any time by logging into Abuse Prevention Systems’ website.
On Next Generation Barbershop Events
What forms do I need to complete in order to participate in a Next Generation Barbershop event?
- For participants UNDER 18, you will need:
- Medical Release Form, Youth Participation Form, Parent/Guardian Permission Form
- For participants OVER 18, you will need:
- Medical Release Form and a Youth Participation Form.
- All forms will be provided upon confirmation of your attendance to the Next Generation Barbershop event.
I am a chaperone for a Next Generation Barbershop Event. What forms do I need to complete?
- You will need to complete the Chaperone form that includes a voluntary disclosure statement.