Rotary Youth Protection
Rotary is committed to fostering environments that are safe and positive for young people and free from discrimination and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
Statement of Conduct for Working With Youth
Rotary International strives to create and maintain a safe environment for all youth who participate in Rotary activities. To the best of their ability, Rotary members, their partners, and other volunteers must safeguard the children and young people with whom they come into contact and protect them from physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.
Rotary takes all youth protection concerns seriously.
Learn more about our reporting policies or make a report.
Rotary’s approach to preventing abuse
The safety and well-being of young people and youth program participants are Rotary’s highest priority. Our comprehensive approach to youth protection includes:
- No tolerance for abuse or harassment of young people
- Policies that prevent misconduct and outline how to respond to grooming behaviors and abuse that involve youth and other program participants
- Mandatory youth protection training for governors-elect
- A dedicated and trained staff that uses a trauma-informed approach when receiving and responding to reports of sexual abuse or harassment
A certification process that requires Rotary districts involved in Rotary Youth Exchange to have:
- Student, family, and volunteer training in abuse prevention
- Volunteer screening that includes an application, criminal background check, and reference checks
- A process for reporting allegations of abuse and harassment to Rotary and local law enforcement
- District-specific youth protection policies
- On-site evaluations (audits) that are conducted by Rotary staff members
Youth protection resources for members
Rotary provides comprehensive resources for clubs and districts that participate in youth programs so they can confidently implement our youth protection policies and act to prevent abuse and harassment:
Rotary Youth Protection Guide
Protecting Youth Program Participants (online course)
Electronic and Online Safety Considerations
Developing a Crisis Management Plan
Rotary Code of Policies, section 2.120.
Working with other youth-serving organizations
When District 5400, or one or our local Rotary clubs is interested in working or partnering with a local youth-serving organization, we will:
1. Ensure any organization you partner with has youth protection policies in place that meet or exceed Rotary’s policiesConfirm the partner organization has a process to appropriately screen, vet, and train volunteers
- Confirm the partner organization’s program participants receive youth protection-related training and education.
- Confirm the partner organization has a process to appropriately screen, vet, and train volunteers.
- Verify that adults do not have significant, unsupervised, one-on-one contact with youth or if they do that there are policies and procedures for ensuring those interactions. are appropriate, monitored, and reviewed as appropriate.
- Confirm the partner organization has a process to prohibit individuals from contact with youth who are ineligible or have a documented pattern of inappropriate behavior
- Periodically review the partner organization’s youth protection policies if the partner organization does not regularly complete a self-assessment or audit.
2. Create a memorandum of understanding to identify your responsibilities, the partner organization’s responsibilities, and any shared responsibilities related to youth protection
3. Keep program participants’ parents/legal guardians aware of your relationship with other youth-related organizations and where they can go to find more information
4. Regularly check-in with both your counterparts at the partner organization and youth program participants about your experiences working together
5. Stay apprised of the organization’s community reputation and any issues that may arise that could compromise the safety of youth or damage Rotary’s reputation as a partner
6. Modify, suspend, or end Rotary’s relationship with the partner organization if an allegation, suspicion, or report of misconduct occurs
Ensure Rotary branding is used appropriately, clearly, and in accordance with Rotary’s policies
7. Confirm the partner organization has adequate liability insurance and require the partner organization to indemnify your club or district and name it as an additional insured.
