Posted 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024
New position helps oversee policies and compliance for youth programming
UW-La Crosse (UWL) is not just home to college students, faculty and staff. Hundreds of youths come to campus throughout the year, many participating in university sponsored programs and events. The safety of minors is a responsibility UWL and the Universities of Wisconsin take seriously. In the fall of 2023, the Youth Protection Coordinator (YPC) position, housed in the division of Diversity & Inclusion, was created to oversee campus procedures, policies and compliance.
Monica Yang, Outreach Manager in the office of Multicultural Student Services since 2013, transitioned into the Youth Protection Coordinator role in late September. As a result of numerous conversations and collaborations with various campus stakeholders and staff in the Office of Compliance and Integrity at the Universities of Wisconsin, the following progress has been made:
- Finalized UWL Youth Protection Policy
- Revamped Youth Program Registration and Approval Processes
- Updated Youth Protection Website (resources, templates and training modules)
- Commitment to 3 Youth Protection Platforms/Tools
- Youth Activity Registration System (YARS) - Central database of all UWL sponsored programs
- VolunteerMatters – Volunteer screening and training
- CampDoc – Participant registration and health management
Completing the Youth Protection team are the Division Youth Protection Liaisons (DYPL). They include Erin Hanson and Eric Kunick (Student Affairs), KJ Krzyzanowski (Academic Affairs) and Sadie Kuhl (Diversity & Inclusion). These individuals are often the first point of contact for individuals who wish to host youth activities.
The Youth Protection team is excited to share new updates with the campus community and officially roll out UWL’s Youth Protection Policy in the spring of 2024.
