Staff Behavior
“Here
is a trustworthy saying: If
anyone sets his heart on being an overseer (leader) he desires a noble
task. An overseer (leader) must be
“above reproach”
… I Tim 3:1
“Above
reproach”
means to maintain a blameless reputation, without distortion, in regards
to our testimony and relationship with God.
Relating
to workcampers of the opposite sex
Due
to the sensitive nature of sexual misconduct in today’s climate and out
of concern for the safety and privacy interest of all involved we require
that all staff members take reasonable caution in relating to the opposite
sex. Staff members
(especially our college age team) must be very careful when talking with
members of the opposite sex. Staff
members should never find themselves alone with a camper and especially
the opposite sex. Conversations should always take place within the context of
a group of people in community. For your own protection, never take someone out of eyesight
of other people. Because of
the natural attraction to college age people, our male staff members must
be especially sensitive and cautious to female teenagers.
The Walkers advice is to limit your one on one conversation with
members of the opposite sex for the sake of yourself, Catholic Heart
Workcamp and others. Extended hugging, touching and flirting is to be
avoided at all times. It is easy for young impressionable teenagers to
misunderstand staff members gestures of friendship.
Grounds for dismissal
will be accusations or concerns from a Youth Leader, Workcamp Manager,
Team Captain, or the Walkers.
Be
VERY careful when it comes to hugging
Some
people may be offended or make accusations about where you touched
him/her. Just be aware and
careful. In today’s
climate, someone slapping you with a lawsuit is not out of the question.
Don’t ruin your life by an inappropriate touch. Any other kind of
contact, besides hugging is forbidden.
Be
careful about what you say
Being
that we are a Christian community, we need to be careful about our
language and jokes. Swearing,
off-color jokes and comments with sexual connotations should be avoided.
Staff
sleeping quarters
For
the sake of privacy, we are requiring male and female staff members to
have their own separate
sleeping quarters. The Walkers prefer
their own sleeping space as well.
No
smoking on school grounds or in any staff vehicles
No
drinking of alcohol anytime
Staff
romance and close friendships
Being
on the road for long periods of time creates opportunities for deep
sharing and friendship. As a
team you will be in a tight community in which closeness and intimacy with
each other may occur. For
many staff members, sharing with other staff members is a highlight of
their time on tour. Sometimes, though two staff members will “click” and a
close bond and friendship develops. Exclusive
one on one friendship are to be avoided for the good of the overall team
chemistry. Equal amounts of time with each staff member is the “rule of
thumb." Also any romance, physical contact or “dating” per say
should be avoided. The
appropriate time for developing lasting friendships and a dating
relationship is after your tour.
Each
staff person is required to attend the staff morning/evening meetings.
Each
staff person will rotate in the “chairing”
of the meeting and keeping it on track.
This chairperson is also responsible for the opening and closing
prayer or selecting someone for it. Meetings
are not held on the evening when we are “packing-up” for the next
camp.
