UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As part of National Corporate Compliance Week, the Penn State Office of Ethics and Compliance is highlighting the work of its various units.
While most college students head home to enjoy some rest and relaxation during the summer months, activity on the University Park and Commonwealth Campuses remains vibrant with a wide range of youth programming. The Youth Programs Compliance supports Penn State’s commitment to promoting a safe environment for all youth participating in activities offered through the University.
The University’s youth programming includes hundreds of events across the University. The range of youth programs may include summer sports camps, academic camps, 4-H camps and events, children’s day camps and outdoor exploration camps.
Youth-focused camps are held across all of University Park and at a majority of Commonwealth Campuses, counties throughout the state who are offering 4H programs, and the Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, located just outside of State College. These youth activities range from one-day camps to week-long residential programs, attracting youth from across the country.
Youth programs are not only restricted to the summer months, but also take place throughout the calendar year, ranging from youth events held during sporting events to overnight educational outdoor camps for local school districts to 4H clubs across the state.
The Youth Programs Compliance Office, in coordination with the University’s Youth Program Advisory Council, embraces a culture of service that values teamwork and focuses on the needs of all youth programs including:
- Continual review and update of University policy and procedures based on current law and national best practices
- Dissemination of updated information to all youth programs staff as well as to the University at large
- Sharing effective training and education options to individual programs for the purpose of continually enhancing the quality of youth programming
- Participating in the review of monitoring activities designed to evaluate effectiveness of all policies and youth programs and ensuring that results are incorporated into a continuous quality improvement
Additional responsibilities of the Youth Program Compliance staff include the oversight of reporting suspected child abuse under University Policy AD72, as well as the creation and updating of the Reporting Child Abuse training.
“Penn State is a national leader in higher education youth protection and also works in conjunction with universities nationwide to help create policies and standards that promote a culture of safety for interacting with youth when they visit our campuses,” said Sandy Weaver, associate director of compliance and director of youth protection.
Those who have any questions about youth programming or youth compliance, can visit Youth Program Resources, where we have a host of information and resources regarding youth program policies, good practices to implement when managing youth programs, background check information, and procedures for reporting child abuse.
Stay tuned to Penn State Today for daily articles about each functional area and visit the Office of Ethics and Compliance for more information.
Trivia Contest
Think you know your stuff? Test your knowledge during Ethics & Compliance Week with our Trivia Contest! Each day, we’ll be sharing a new trivia question related to ethics and compliance. Submit your answer, and if it's correct, you'll be entered into that day's prize drawing.
How to participate:
- Look out for the daily trivia question.
- Submit your correct response by 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7.
- Test your knowledge every day — all correct entries will be entered into a grand prize drawing to be given at the end of the week.
Trivia question #5
Approximately how many children does Penn State serve on an annual basis in youth programs, activities and services?
- 500
- 2,000
- 50,000
- 200,000