Overall Program Flow
Part of Safety & Quality - Part 1: Policies & Procedures
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Each program has specific protocols and requirements to ensure safety and quality that must be met before the program begins.
Protocol & Requirements For Every Site
Command Center
A Command Center is required for all programs. It could be the office. It could a vehicle. On expeditions, it could be a backpack carried and tended to by the on-site Coordinators. The Command Center includes:
- A fully-stocked first-aid kit and, if in a vehicle, a vehicle safety kit.
- A secure place (ideally lockable) to store roster information and/or medications.
- Key operational gear (i.e. charging walkie-talkies, printers, etc). Communication tools.
Communication Tools & Strategies
Staff must be able to stay in touch with one another. Equipment and strategies include:
- Charged walkie-talkies: required. See Radio Protocol
- Cell phones: all staff should have the numbers of all Coordinators and administrative staff, as well as emergency services.
- Satellite phone: carry when service is not available and you are more than 15 minutes from a landline or reliable cell signal.
- Agree-upon “calls”: any loud cry that carries through the woods.
- Safety whistles: a very loud whistle that indicates distress when blown three times.
Rosters
Rosters include copies of student waivers and medical information. Procedure to follow:
- Copies of all rosters are kept at the Command Center or with a Coordinator.
- Copies are kept with staff person currently leading students on field activities.
- All waivers are shredded at the end of the program as they contain private information.
Site Safety Sheet
Every staff member must have a copy of the Site Safety Sheet. It includes: Contacts and driving directions to all Emergency Medical Services.
- A copy of EMS protocol: know when to self-evacuate and when to call for EMS help. See Evacuation Policy.
- Current assessment of site and activity hazards.
- Radio channel(s) used and cellphone contacts of everyone working on site.
Program Fundamentals
There are important steps to remember before, during, and after any programs:
Before the Program
Review student rosters: Focus on medical and behavioral concerns and go to your Coordinator if you have questions. Ask and answer how you are keeping each participant safe. Remember that the information on the rosters is confidential and may not be shared with anyone outside of staff or EMS.
Scout sites: Do this ahead of time to craft a site safety plan. This is typically the role of the Coordinator or other administrative staff. Use these notes in the Site Safety Sheet and at Safety Meetings.
Review program schedules: Know what you are doing and when. Coordinators will provide copies of schedules before programs, including locations. If you have questions, ask them before the first morning of the program! When you do change plans, review changes verbally with your Coordinator and make notes on your schedules.
Gather and care for your equipment and materials: Last minute scrambling to prepare is unacceptable. Make sure you have all your gear, materials, and vehicles ready to go well before your program begins. No matter what your role is, don’t assume someone else will get everything for you — be proactive! If it is shared equipment, check with a gear Coordinator before using it.
Do vehicle pre-trip check: A procedural check of all buses, vehicles, and trailers is required. See Vehicle Pre-Trip Check List.
During the Program
Hold daily or more frequent Safety Check-Ins: This includes Safety Meetings and Safety Check-Ins (see page 21) with your staff. Do the same with your students. When you set firm ground rules and expectations and follow up by asking students for their contributions, they become participants in their own safety.
Record safety incidents thoroughly: Document as soon as possible using Incident Report protocol (see pages 47 and 122). If you’re not sure if something is a reportable incident, check with your Coordinator. Even if you think an incident is too minor to report, it could grow into a greater concern. Better safe than sorry!
Record observed behaviors: Make written notes of students. Also, remember the positive ones! Share your positive observations with students and parents often. This helps build trust and rapport. Review notes at the end-of-the-day (see page 23) and in morning Safety Meetings. Learn to tell the difference between objective behavior you can see versus subjective judgments made about a person as a result of their behavior.
Example
Do not say, “Billy is a bad kid.”
Instead have specifics: “Today, as I reviewed knife safety, Billy did not put his knife away after I asked him to.
Remember Any notes you make about participants must remain confidential.
Review the schedule: During your program, transparency is key to keeping students informed, within boundaries, and engaged. Regular schedule reviews help students and staffers stay on time. It also builds “informed consent” from all staff and students. Since they’re consistently informed about schedule and flow, they have the opportunity to ask questions and prepare for coming activities.
Call a Coordinator if you need help: Certain situations may require the assistance of a supervisor. Examples of when to call for and involve your Coordinator:
- Call if circumstances develop such that cannot pay attention to your entire group.
- Call if any behavior is dangerous to others or extremely inappropriate.
- Call if there is an injury with lameness, pain that does not subside quickly, or blood.
After the Program
Debrief all Incident Reports: Ask what could have been done differently. If you have any concerns or doubt, serious or minor, bring them to your Coordinator.
Revise the program schedule: Make notes to your schedule on what actually happened and for improvements. Give this to your Coordinator.
Tidy up your gear: Become obsessive about properly maintaining and putting away gear. Look for ways to be Truly Helpful if your teammates needs a hand.
Program Flow
When a teacher is working with students, you are “onstage” performing the role of educator or guide. Good program flow involves being aware of how to “stage” and “direct” a program. Staying aware of good flow improves the safety and quality of every participant’s experience. Remember, as educators we create great theater with four tools:
- Rehearsals
- Staging & Props
- Boundaries
- Transitions
Rehearsals
Rehearse your program over and over again. Walk through the program space and the schedule in your head. Do it again in morning meetings and afternoon debriefs with your teammates. Get more and more detailed. Things may be different during actual implementation, but imaginative journeys spark the creative side of your brain. This kind of practice is most important to making a program flow.
Staging & Props (Sites & Equipment)
Planning where we stage (teach) our programs, and the tools we use to teach them, are essential components to a successful and safe program.
- Check in with your Coordinator about where to stage yourself on sites. Often many groups must share the same site.
- Upon arrival, identify area hazards: dead trees or limbs, traffic, stranger danger, etc.
- Stay as far as possible from walking paths or doorways.
- Create a Command Center as a familiar place to return with participants.
- When a space has multiple or mixed uses, stage yourselves well out of the way of dangers and distractions.
- Respect other groups using the space (including the general public).
- Have all equipment ready and placed in the right spot ahead of time.
Example
Bad Staging Flint-knapping in a walkway where people are moving back and forth.
Good Staging Seating your group in the shade when it’s sunny.
Bad Staging Gathering campers at the edge of a steep drop-off.
Good Staging Gathering the group in a semicircle so everyone can see a raccoon track.
Bad Staging Talking to the group when you’re way ahead and can’t even see the last kid.
Good Staging Stopping to rest and listen to varied thrushes while walking up a challenging hill.
Boundaries
Clear boundaries are important for participants to feel secure.
- Set safety boundaries based on participant ages and activities.
- Keep youth in your sight at all times.
- Make sure everyone arrives and leaves on time. Be clear about, and enforce, timely participation.
Pop Quiz
If 3 people are 5 minutes late in a 12-person program, how much time did we lose? Answer 60 minutes (5 x the 12 people waiting)
Transitions
Transition is moving from one activity to the next. It is that blank time in between. Transitions set the tone for students and how they participate in every step of the program. You must transition thoughtfully to keep the attention and enthusiasm of everyone. When you rush or ignore transitions you appear unprofessional and may even create a dangerous situation if you completely lose participant attention. Eliminate this concern by following these simple steps:
- Know how long each activity takes.
- Know your group and the time it takes them to transition.
- Conduct frequent Head Counts during activities and during transitions.
- Check in with participants about the schedule and timing.
- Know how long it will take to get to the next activity area.
- Turn transitions into a game. Time the group and try to improve each day.
Three Types of Transitions
1. Beginning an Activity or Day
- Provide a clear call to get everyone together.
- Assemble everyone in a circle.
- Do a Head Count to know if everyone is present.
- Learn or reiterate and use names.
- Review safety, rules, and schedule.
2. Between Activities
- Do a Head Count. Twice.
- Use names.
- Set boundaries for where they can go and what they can do.
- Set a clear gathering time and place.
- Review the schedule with students, keeping them informed of changes you make.
- Ensure all students are in line of sight at all times. Be a Constant Witness (see page 26).
- Have them move in groups of two people or more.
2. Ending an Activity or Day
- Do a Head Count. Twice.
- Use names.
- Give clear and specific instructions on where they should go and what they should do next.
- Review the schedule with students, keeping them informed of changes.
- Facilitate a group closure at the end of each activity, reviewing highlights and positives.
- End-of-day transition should remind participants of their epic adventures. Kids will then be more eager to share this excitement with parents, who may not otherwise get clear stories and feedback from their child.
- Facilitate conversation with participants and parents on next steps for learning. If any behavioral issues or notable incidents occurred, please discuss these with parents. Please enlist the support of your Coordinator for difficult conversations.
Other Transitions
Games and Activities: While games and stories can be useful, especially during transitions, we never want them to be “time-fillers” at the expense of thoughtful skill and character development. They should always contribute to the program nature.
Meals: Meals should be considered a structured activity with appropriate boundaries and transitions in and out of the activity.
Campfires: A campfire is more than a form of transition; it is a full-on debrief and social ceremony.