safety is our top priority

From the application process onward, we pay great attention to sensitise our counsellors to the topic of child protection. All our counsellors go through a multi-stage selection process and need to present a criminal record certificate for child and youth welfare every year.

As part of our child protection policy, we have developed a code of conduct for our counsellors with clear guidelines for interacting with our participants at camp. This forms the basis for employment in the young austria camps.

All our counsellors undergo intensive training during a multi-day counsellor seminar before starting work at camp. Child protection is one of the key topics during this training. In order to further sensitise our counsellors to child protection issues, we offer additional training throughout the year. Moreover, we evaluate and update our child protection policy yearly to be best prepared for the new camp summer.

The centerpiece of our child protection policy is a detailed and targeted plan of action that provides clear guidelines for our counsellors should there be any indication or suspicion of child welfare risks despite all prevention measures. In developing this plan, we closely collaborated with the specialists association Selbstbewusst, aligning with officially recognised child protection guidelines.

To best support our counsellors in case of any suspicion of child welfare risks, we have specially trained child protection officers, who are always available as contact persons. Our camp participants can also turn to them with any concerns.

To ensure that all our participants have a carefree time at camp, it is very important to us that the children feel that they can confide in our counsellors at any time.

As part of our child protection policy, we have expanded our feedback and complaints system to provide participants at camp with an easily accessible way to share their concerns with us anonymously. In each of our camps, we have installed a “We-are-there-for-you!” box with postcards on which participants can communicate any worries or problems. If someone prefers to confide digitally, this can be done through QR codes on our child protection posters. Additionally, we also offer external contact points, to which children can turn if needed.

Since it is important to us that not only the children and teenagers at camp but also our employees feel safe and comfortable at all times, we have developed a separate staff protection policy. Similar to our participants, we also provide our counsellors with both internal and external contact points to communicate any concerns.