Safeguarding
EUDY has recently completed a project called “Safeguarding Guidelines – Making international youth exchanges safe for Deaf participants”. The project was developed from a motion from EUDY’s Full Member, United Kingdom, which was submitted to and adopted by the EUDY General Assembly of 2016. Developed by the EUDY board, the first version of the safeguarding guidelines were presented and adopted at the EUDY General Assembly of 2019.
However these guidelines were not strong enough to ensure the safety and security of Deaf (young) people within EUDY as an organisation. Therefore, in 2022, a new project was established and funded by Erasmus+ and the following objectives were:
- To establish a common understanding of the importance of safeguarding guidelines for deaf young people on both European and national levels
- To develop an implementation plan for the guidelines
- To create a standard approach that can be adopted by European and national organisations for deaf young people
- To train youth workers in working with safeguarding guidelines
- To evaluate the implementation activities
Two activities were organised, one as a working meeting and the other as an evaluation meeting. During the first meeting, there were many workshops and discussions to update the guidelines and create new ones specially for camps. Following the first meeting, two camps were held: EUDY Children Camp in Switzerland and EUDY Junior Camp in Estonia. During the camps, the guidelines were observed and tested, and it was confirmed that they indeed provide a safe and secure environment for Deaf children and young people. At the evaluation meeting, the guidelines were reviewed and modified based on feedback from the camps.
We are excited to present the updated guidelines at the EUDY General Assembly of 2023 in Portugal, aiming to get them adopted as an official toolkit.
The Safeguarding Guidelines include:
- Ethical Guidelines for EUDY
- Guidelines for a Safe EUDY
- Driving Rules for Children Camp, Junior Camp, OC Teams, Leaders and Volunteers
- Warning Poster on How to Notify in EUDY
- Safeguarding Report Form
The facilitators of the project were Samira Mohammed (UK), Aleluya Peña (Spain) and Lubna Mehdi, who is the Inclusion Officer of EUDY. The project involved the following countries: Romania, Estonia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Slovakia, Spain, Germany and EUDY (Belgium).
The participation of individuals from the involved countries has been instrumental in the successful completion of the project. Their input and contributions have greatly aided the development of EUDY as an organisation that is safe, inclusive and better suited to serve the needs of Deaf young people throughout Europe.
Through their participation in the project, individuals from the involved countries were able to share their knowledge and experiences, and work collaboratively to identify key issues related to the safety and security of Deaf young people. By pooling their collective expertise, they were able to develop guidelines that reflect best practices and provide a standard approach that can be used by organisations both on a national and European level.
Furthermore, the involvement of these individuals has helped to strengthen EUDY’s commitment to ensuring that the voices and perspectives of Deaf young people are heard and respected. By prioritising the safety and security of Deaf young people, EUDY is not only working to create a more inclusive and supportive environment, but also helping to promote greater awareness of the unique needs and challenges faced by Deaf individuals.
In recognition of the valuable contributions made by these individuals, EUDY would like to extend its heartfelt thanks and appreciation. Their participation has not only helped to ensure the successful completion of the project, but has also helped to create a lasting legacy of collaboration, mutual support and shared responsibility.
