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What are some of the
basics of being responsible for a the health and well being of a
group youth? When are we being over protective and when are we being
overly nonchalant? Again, it is a balancing act trying not to be too
restrictive by being both aware and in charge of each situation.
Some of the rules are just a matter of being alert and cost nothing.
- Make it a habit
of counting heads constantly and at each change in the situation.
This costs nothing, makes sure that no one has wandered off or
gotten lost, and assures everyone that you are in control of the
situation. This can become a standing joke. Which is fine.
- Count off games and techniques are just fine, but can get
annoying when done too often, so quietly count most of the time.
- One of the adults with the group needs to know where every
youth is at every moment. Parents usually frown on it when a phone
call asking to speak to a youth gets a response: “Well, give me
an hour or two and I might be able to locate your child.”
Sometimes I had leaders that thought all this counting business was a waste of time. But one time as a highway rest-stop I asked my leaders if all their group was on the bus, they all assured me that they were (but one leader didn't actually count). As we were pulling away I spotted one of our 6th graders across the parking lot (I always had them in distinctive t-shirts on these trips with middle schoolers). It would have been a disaster if we had left him!
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