The SI Youth Program strives to create an environment of safety that fosters youth independence and accountability. A panel of youth and adult leadership help to create that environment as well as manage situations that may arise with empathy and confidentiality. All youth staff are committed to providing a safe and healthy community, which means we regularly reexamine policies and procedures.

Youth Rules and Expectations

Youth are expected to follow the covenant that they help write, attend all youth programming including morning theme talk and touch group meetings, as well as a few other rules set forth to create a safe environment which include…

• no sex
• no abuse or violence
• no substance use
• Respect for others and their property

Housing

All youth, including senior high youth, are required to stay in the same dorm as their parent or sponsor.  Senior high youth have the option of the youth focused dorm.  In the youth focused dorm, youth may stay in a room with their parent or sponsor or on a youth floor where some adults stay.  Adults in the youth focused wing who are not sharing a room with their youth may stay on an adults only floor.

Adults staying in the youth focused dorm are asked to either refrain from keeping any type of alcohol in their dorm rooms, or if you choose to bring it the youth panel asks that you keep it behind closed doors, out of youth reach and sight, and away from youth centric spaces (i.e. youth late night space).  The youth panel also asks that you refrain from drinking if you are volunteering to help with the youth in any direct way.

Parent/Sponsor Responsibilities

Parents/Sponsors are responsible for their youth at all times at SI other than during youth morning programming, touch group meetings, youth worships, and when youth are present in the youth late night space. Youth are asked to regularly check in with youth staff and their parents/sponsors. Supervised youth hangouts during non-programming time are provided.   Junior high youth are escorted by youth leaders from evening activities to their dorms.  Youth are required to conform to an established curfew for their age group, or to an earlier curfew as determined by their parent/sponsor. Youth are the responsibility of their parent/sponsor after curfew. The parent/sponsor is solely responsible for deciding whether their youth may spend time in the room of another youth, and whether their youth may attend the chaperoned late night space.