For those interested in being a chaperone

[Aze]

Dear Parents/Adults looking to be a chaperone,

The first thing you'll need to know is that right now, HST is pretty small. Which is fine, because it means there's not a lot of help needed just yet. However, there are some things that need to be said.

Firstly; while Aze is not perfect and isn't a parent, she does know basic childcare and understands the concept of what is developmentally appropriate material. For instance, she would not condone the group playing Cards against Humanity with minors under sixteen, unless those under sixteen have express parental approval to be exposed to such material. If you feel she isn't judging something properly, or if she doesn't realize that something may be inappropriate material, please calmly say so away from the group, or make a polite comment redirecting her to another activity (she'll pick up on it right away) rather than make a scene. Aze does not, by any means, want to expose anyone to material they shouldn't be exposed to. In the same vein, if you think that she's doing something inappropriate or behaving in some way that you don't appreciate, please say so away from the group. It's much easier for all parties if your concerns are noted in a calm fashion without putting her on the spot, and it's easier for her to adjust quickly if you do so. However, this is hardly likely to be an issue; again, while Aze isn't perfect, she generally behaves very well around other people, especially around children.

Secondly; please don't feel obligated to run the show if you get the feeling that Aze is young. While she is 24, the reason that she gets along with children is that she is young at heart; she's able to enjoy their fun and be a part of it, but that doesn't mean that she has no idea what she's doing. Seriously, this is a promise: she acts younger than she is, often coming off as though she's only nineteen or twenty, and is comfortable doing so because she knows when to be serious and when it's okay not to be. At the same time, she is usually calm and is always happy to behave more seriously to make other people more comfortable, and often retains an 'older sister' vibe even when she's being her silliest. This isn't to say that you aren't allowed to take on some of the responsibility of reigning things in if anyone gets too excited; you're welcome to do so, and that's part of why you'd be there as a chaperone! So if you're worried about her young at heart attitude, just trust that Aze knows what she's doing, and only try to 'take over' if you see a good reason to, in short.

Thirdly; as a chaperone you'll also be required to know some of the things Aze knows. If you're trusted with being a chaperone, you'll be given a list of phone numbers and told which child's parents own that phone number. That's as much information as you'll get about each child, but it will be enough to help her notify parents if it is needed. In the case of an emergency, chaperones will be expected to calmly and rationally help move the group if needed, and if not, supervise and help the group while she attends to the emergency. If you have certain skills that can be used in the emergency (eg if you have training as a doctor, which overrides Aze's first aid training if someone is hurt) she would be happy to switch off and tend to the group instead.

Lastly, in order to be a chaperone, Aze will require you to get a criminal background check, and she will refund you the money required to do so.

The form to apply to be a chaperone is as follows:

Name:
Age:
Are you a parent?:
Reason for applying:
Have you read Homestuck?:

Keep in mind that it doesn't matter too much if you have read through Homestuck, it's just something that she can use to identify which chaperones are better suited to help pick out activities the group will enjoy as fans of homestuck. You can still do so as a non-homestuck fan!

Please PM the filled out form to Aze (that's me)!