YPP and Two-deep
Daniel D. Hammond, Sr (hammonddL@USWEST.NET)
Sat, 31 Jul 1999 21:14:16 -0700
I queried the list about a husband and wife being their own
"two-deep" leadership for each other's dens. Most of the
responses I got were very helpful, but a few I received
troubled me. Here are a couple of quotes:
"The reason for two deep leadership is if one leader gets
sick, hurt, or has to leave for what ever family emergency,
that
there is a backup leader. If one spouse gets hurt, is not
the other going to want to leave also?"
"Dan, "two-deep" and "YPP" are two different concepts,
although they often work together."
"The policies of 2-deep leadership and the policies of Youth
Protection are two seperate and completely different
requirements that make up part of how we interact with the
boys.
Also, you do have to remember that the 2-deep leadership
requirement is in place to make sure that there is an active
program for the boys, ie. If the DL gets the flu and cannot
attend the den meeting s/he has an ADL in place and
qualified to take over and run the program. It is only as an
aside that it 'helps' put in place a minimum of 3
individuals (YP)
during the course of most meetings, especially at the very
beginning and end when it always seems to be one boy who is
there alone with the leaders. While the policies of YP are
in force to help protect everyone from the charge of
abuse of any kind. YP only requires that no Scout and adult
leader be alone together, there must be a third party
present who may be another adult or another Scout (the
infamous Buddy System that the guys like to squeeze out of
whenever given half a chance;-)."
The reason these quotes bother me is that they indicate a
lack of knowledge on the part of some of the respondents.
Their are the "3-Rs" of abuse that we train; Recognize,
Resist and Report. "Two-deep" leadership falls under the R
of resist. It's under the sub-topic of "Creating Barriers
to Abuse." This is the BSA's way to reduce the
opportunities for potential abusers to set up the conditions
that make abuse possible.
The section in chapter 13 of the Cub Scout Leader Book lists
the following as "Creating Barriers to Abuse." I quote them
in order:
Two-Deep Leadership (the first method for creating barriers
to abuse under YPP)
No One-on-One Contact
Respect of Privacy
Separate Accommodations
Proper Preparation for Activities
No Secret Organizations
Appropriate Attire
Constructive Discipline
Hazing Prohibited
The practical application of this is for there to always be
at least two-leaders on every outing. Thus we ensure that
the barriers to abuse remain in place. While it may enhance
the program, "two-deep" IS A YPP FUNCTION, NOT A PROGRAM
FUNCTION.
This is why we often discuss such events as Philmont treks
being best served by THREE leaders. This way if one leader
is injured or falls ill, the trek can continue with the
necessary "two-deep" leadership still intact. There have
been occasions where Philmont treks have been cut short when
a crew had the minumum required two leaders and one was
injured. The trip ends when you lose your "two-deep."
You need to be sure you check your old YPP Training notes
and review the current literature.
Again, thank you to the list for the responses. The
consensus of the responses was that there is no National
policy that prohibits a husband and wife team from being
their own "two-deep," but that in practice it's not the best
way to go because of the possibility of perceptions on the
part of some parents that "Bob and Carol" are collaborating
to set up conditions where abuse might occur.
Yours in ScOUTing,
Daniel D. Hammond, Sr.
Pack 225 and Black Hills District Committee
Olympia, WA
I used to be an Owl (W-CS-44)
Working my Ticket
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