SCA - a response from the Minister of Cultural Affairs

[make_your_move]

Due to the public outcry on this being a poor decision, this

An open letter to concerned Pennsic parents:

You may have heard there is a new rule in place that limits participation in A&S classes at Pennsic University to adults. This means that minors (anyone under the age of 18) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when attending classes in A&S tents.

Let me first make it clear that this is a Pennsic 39 rule, not a Society-wide rule nor is it due to any sort of decision by the SCA, Inc. This rule was effected by the agreement of the Pennsic staff involved, specifically for Pennsic 39. The Society standard is that children under 12 must be in line of sight of a parent, for youth 12 and over there must be one or more unrelated adults present if a parent is not present. Those rules still apply for Pennsic in general. The rule that parents or an appointed guardian must be present with minors applies only to Pennsic University A&S classes.

Let me also assure you that any non-University class activity designated as being "for youth"--activities such as the Children's Fete, the Known World Teen Party, anything held at Youth Point, all youth martial and boffer activities on the Battlefield--has appropriate teacher/volunteer supervision such that parental presence is not required. Likewise this rule does not apply to general Pennsic public activities such as battles, public performances in the PAT, Dance tent balls, and Games tent activities. For such activities teens (13-18) do not need parental supervision; in all venues outside of classes in A&S tents, the general Pennsic rules for supervision of minors applies.

This year all classes appropriate for youth (from small children through teens) are currently under the supervision of Youth Point and appropriate teachers/volunteers are handling these. Not all are inside the Youth Point area, but all are listed in the Pennsic book. Please check the Youth sections of the Pennsic Book for appropriate activities for your minor children.

We do also welcome youth attendance at Pennsic University A&S classes that their parents deem suitable, but to assess that suitability the parent or appointed guardian really needs be present. As the Cultural Affairs staff does not have the resources to age check everyone attending A&S activities, we are relying on parental discretion when allowing children to attend or participate in classes at Pennsic.

I do understand and apologize for the hardship this rule presents to teens and to parents. Please understand this is not the first choice of the Cultural Affairs staff nor of the Pennsic University. Rules are generally made for a reason; usually because someone has abused a system in the past. The reasons for this rule come out of multiple incidents in A&S classes and in the Society in general dealing with children and youth. We hope to have a better solution for all concerned in the future, but as of now we do not have the staff or resources to fix current issues and so we are relying on parents to provide supervision of their minor children in A&S tents.

I understand the anger and the frustration many of you may feel because of this rule. I write this letter in hopes to address some of that frustration. You are always welcome to contact me personally (culturalaffairs@pennsicwar.org), but please be aware that due to the current flood in my inbox I may not be as prompt in answering you as immediately as you would like. I will also be available at Pennsic to speak to anyone who wishes to discuss ideas for youth activities within the Pennsic University tents.

Please use common sense and be aware at all times of where your minor children are and with whom they are associating.

Your in Service,

Mistress Chai
Deputy Mayor for Cultural Affairs, PW 39

letter has been written. The tone of which still strikes me as - "rules are there for a reason, and we're doing this for your own good .... "

I'm still working on my letter. This is the wrong road to be going down.

Comments

[russell-moore.livejournal.com]

it's still a poor decision

and the explanation smells like bullshit to me

maybe the new grand deities of the event are wearing some panties a few sizes too small, causing their heads to be impacted into their asses at an unusual angle

[alricthemad.livejournal.com]

I read the letter, and it doesn't address any frustration. Just restates the rule.

[russell-moore.livejournal.com]

doesn't answer any questions either, which is why it is bullshit IMO

someone thinking their playtime crown is real perhaps?

[aminahfiddler.livejournal.com]

And.... they changed the rule from this morning. This morning it stated legal guardian. Now it just says guardian.

Before, I couldn't take my camp mate's kid to a class. Now I can.

To add humor to a bad situation. When I was 16, you had to be 18 to drink. Us 16yo would hang outside the store waiting for an 18yo to buy us booze. Can you see it now, a 17 yo waiting outside a classroom asking strangers to be their guardian? Hmmm maybe it really isn't a bad idea. Let's all make a sign, I will be a guardian for any responsible teen so that they can take a class.

[cz_unit]

Translation: Get rid of kids.

That works really well for a few years. I remember when Fandom did it.

C

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

Fandom? I think I remember that. Didn't it get all grey and icky or something?

[becalyn.livejournal.com]

I'm not even involved in this stuff and that letter sounds like the Pennsic version of "We're from the government and we're here to help you."

Maybe I'm missing something but I'm not following the logic of its ok for the teens to run wild and unchaperoned and go and do whatever they want around Pennsic UNLESS they want to sit in a structured educational environment with an adult instructor....then they must have parental supervision???? Is that seriously what they're saying???? And if it is have they realized what an incredibly stupid statement that is???

[cussata.livejournal.com]

See, what annoys me is that I think this rule come from a FEW parents not paying enough attention to, or taking responsibility for, their kids in the first place.

I'm reading this "rules for reasons" as the Pennsic U coordinators are covering their asses because some of the material in certain classes is not befitting people of a certain age. Since they can't suddenly institute an age rating system on all classes, they feel they have to put in an over riding policy.
I can only imagine they've had incidents of parents finding out, after the fact that someone talked about sex or gave tastes of alcohol in a class their child attended, and then blamed the coordinators. It's the parents that didn't ask their kids what they were planning to attend and then checking to make sure the class was age appropriate that are likely spoiling the other teen's fun.

The reason this inflames you so much is that I know YOU know what your kids are up to. You are a responsible parent who checks in with their kids regularly throughout the day and asks them what they've been up to and what they'll be doing. You take responsibility for making sure your kids attend classes you feel are appropriate. If everyone were a responsible parent, the organizers wouldn't feel like they had to institute rules to protect themselves from being responsible for other peoples kids.