Code of Conduct for Serving Ones and Helpers

The following general guidelines shall apply to all those active during events organised and supported by European Young People’s Work e.V. when serving with children and young people (under 18 years of age).

1. Taking responsibility – We take responsibility for the welfare of the children and young people entrusted to us and safeguard them in our environment from neglect and mistreatment as well as from impairment to their health and discrimination of all kinds.

2. Observing their rights – We observe the right of the children and young people entrusted to us to bodily integrity and to their private sphere and do not exert any form of violence, whether physical, psychological, or sexual.

3. Respecting boundaries – We respect the individual sense of boundaries of the children and young people entrusted to us and ensure that the children and young people respect these boundaries in their conduct with each other. Serving ones and helpers knock on the doors of the young people’s rooms before entering. Situations in which serving ones are alone with a young person or a child in a room or vehicle are to be avoided. If this is not possible, the door should be left open and another serving one should be aware of the situation.

4. Fostering personal development – We value our children and young people and foster their personal development. We guide them into appropriate social behaviour with other people and to tolerance, respect, and fair play.

5. Observing personal rights – We treat the children and young people’s data, which is entrusted to or accessible to us, in strict confidence. We do not take any photos or video material of the young people in their rooms or in the bathrooms. Photos or videos are not to be distributed by social media. We handle images and video material which portray the children and young people sensitively and responsibly, in accordance with data protection, particularly when made public on social media.

6. Communicating transparently – We do not communicate with individual children or young people about personal subjects on social media programmes (e.g., Facebook) or messenger apps (e.g., WhatsApp).

7. Intervening actively – In the case of conflict or suspicion, as well as contravention by third parties who are also subject to these guidelines, we inform the contact person named for this event in order to call on professional support. The protection of the children and young people always takes first priority.

8. Alcohol, nicotine, drugs – The use of these substances during the Conference is strictly forbidden.