Written by Guy Russ, Church Mutual® assistant vice president – Risk Control, for Church Executive magazine
Over the past few months, organizations have scrambled to reinvent their programs and activities for a virtual world in the face of COVID-19. With summer now upon us, and COVID-19 still with us, it’s time to take a hard look at the summer programs your organization offers for children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a Youth Programs and Camps Decision Tool to help organizations make the difficult decision whether to open for on-site programming this summer. Considerations include state and local orders, along with the ability to do health screenings and protect higher-risk participants from exposure.
If you aren’t yet comfortable holding in-person programs this summer, keeping it virtual is a great option. But remember, virtual programs have their own unique set of risks. Particularly when dealing with children in an online environment, cybersafety needs to be at the top of your priority list.
So, how do we keep children safe in this virtual landscape?
First, your program facilitators need to really understand the online tools they’ll be using. How will they work for the needs of the program? And how can they be exploited by those with bad intentions? Also find out what information a platform collects from participants and what happens to that information.
- Click here to view the full article published by Church Executive magazine.
