Priority 1: Safety

     One of the first things that I did with the staff when I began working at Joel's Place was to come up with some guiding principles.  What are the core things that we are about at the youth center?  We arrived at three:  Safety, Fun and Development.  Coincidentally those will be my next three entries here on the blog.

     Safety is the top priority.  I have heard that in every job I have ever had.  And it is usually true...unless it gets in the way of the other priorities that we have.  At Joel's Place, safety has to be the first thing that we are about.  It has to.  If we have are not known far and wide as a safe place for youth to spend their time, nothing else that we do will matter.  Kids will not open up; they will keep their heads on a swivel, trying to see where the next threat is; they will come looking to start trouble before trouble finds them.  No.  No.  No and no.  Unacceptable.

     Joel's Place does not allow any alcohol or weapons on the premises.  Any smoking must be done across the street, out of visual range of the center.  Any violence will be grounds for expulsion from Joel's Place.  Anyone who smells of alcohol or drugs will not be allowed to enter.  I like to say that the only injuries that youth sustain are self-inflicted in the ride park.  The kids know all this upfront and they see us follow through and they know that they are free to be themselves without fear of being attacked.  It sounds simple but it is a powerful knowledge.  New people are met with welcome instead of suspicion.  The quirkiness of teenage boys is on full display instead of needing to be hidden behind socially appropriate masks.  There are life lessons everyday on how to deal with disagreements and anger without violence.

     Safety does not stop with who is allowed in the building and how they are allowed to talk and act.  We also have safety policies to protect the youth from themselves.

• Helmets.  I have not met a rider yet who was excited about wearing a helmet.  Riding is all about being free and expressing yourself...and we make them all wear helmets...without tearing the padding out...and they have to wear them whether they are 6 or 26.   Because they fall.  A lot.  I know they are tough.  It is not a matter of tough.  It is a matter of us, as an organization, valuing every single kid who comes through our doors and saying that we want the best for you, even if you get mad at us for it.
• Closures.  We close at 40 below.  We close when the roads are super icy, like today.  A lot of our riders are old enough to drive themselves and can not figure out why we would ever close for a stupid little thing like the weather.  Here's the thing: the roads may be fine at 3pm when you arrive.  Six hours later, after the melting stops and the freezing has begun and you need to drive back out to North Pole in the dark in your 1980's Mazda that is held together with duct tape (or whatever 1st car you drive) with your three teenage friends crammed into the back seat laughing and yelling for the whole trip...that is not a safe situation.  Sometimes it is just safer to stay at home.

     Safety is not a fun topic.  There are not a lot of inspirational stories that spring from people being mindful of risk management.  However all of the other great things that we do have to be based on a foundation of safety.  If they are not, disaster falls into the category of "When" not "If" and the series of close calls chips away at the confidence and enthusiasm of the staff.

Thank you to everyone who helps keep the youth at Joel's Place safe.  I am deeply appreciative.