The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all participants in SWE- sponsored youth-focused programs throughout the world. Youth protection requires continued vigilance, and we work every day to protect children through appropriate policies and procedures at every level of our organization.
SWE has recently implemented a new Youth Protection Policy for SWE members and affiliates interacting with youth under age 18. All SWE members and volunteers are required to complete the SWE Youth Protection: Code of Conduct and Standards for Interacting with Youth training in the Advance Learning Center prior to working with youth under age 18 at SWE-sponsored events.
The Board of Directors approved the Youth Protection Policy on September 23, 2021 with Board of Directors motion B2213, and the launch of this new policy has begun. The WE21 Invent it. Build it. volunteers were the first to take the training in October 2021, followed by the members of the Outreach and SWENext Committees in January 2022. .
SWE’s Youth Protection Policy and supporting documents (SWE Advocacy Code of Conduct and SWE’s Bullying Prevention Guide) explain requirements and expectations for interacting with youth at SWE-sponsored events and activities across multiple event types and situations. All SWE volunteers and staff interacting with youth are required to complete the training.
The Youth Protection training must be completed every three years. For more information and instructions on how to access the training, please visit swe.org/youthprotection.
To support SWE’s outreach initiatives, sign up as a SWE Adult Advocate here.
