Safety

To ground this reflection, begin by drawing a picture of a place you feel safe. Identify 5 parts of this place that make it safe for you.

Safety protocols are important components to build into any programming. Often, safety refers to available first-aid kits, emergency contacts, food allergy lists, etc. Safety is understood as the preventative and responsive protocols to support program participants. These are all important pieces to have in place, but they may not go far enough to ensure participants feel as safe as possible in the program. 

We invite you to consider a fuller definition of safety. For example, if a youth program is ending late in the day, or after dark, do the young people have a safe way to get home? Are there emotional supports available to young people following difficult or triggering conversations? If there are disagreements among the group, how will conflict be resolved? 

Additionally, we may consider what safety looks like for the other beings (animals, plants, waterways, etc.) we interact with when we are on the land. How might we extend this practice of safety to land as well?

Explore some ideas of what safety might mean beyond first-aid kits and emergency contacts. Think about what safety looks, sounds, and feels like. It might be helpful to refer back to your drawing of a safe place. 

Create a “working definition” of what safety means - safety for a variety of program participants: youth, plants, waterways, animals, and lands.