Policies & PRocedures

I will take pride in my appearance by exceeding grooming and dress requirements in order to convey a professional, respectful, and safe image.

• Clothing should not be noticeably worn and should not have holes, tears, or be frayed.

• Staff should arrive on site dressed according to these guidelines and fully prepared for the day.**

SHOES:
Tennis shoes or other closed-toe shoes are required at all times and should be clean. (No Chacos or other sandals during Sojourn hours - Keens are permitted)

SHIRTS:
Sojourn shirts should be worn at all times with an attempt to have a Sojourn logo on the outer most layer. In cold weather, if you have logo’d gear please wear it, but if not thats ok.

If you need an additional Sojourn Staff T-shirt, please make a Full Time staff aware of the need. Based on how many programs a staff member has worked or is working in a given week, a second shirt may be provided.

** Pro Tip! - In order to remain presentable to our guests, it may be helpful to wear a different shirt (that can get dirty/sweaty) for set-up then change into Sojourn apparel before the program.

PANTS:
Pants/Shorts should be professional in nature:

• For Shorts - "Rule of thumb": when your hands are hanging by your side a person's thumb should be at or above the bottom of one's shorts. No Athletic Shorts or Leggings as your outer layer should be worn.

• For Corporate Programs we ask that all staff wear khaki's or professional looking shorts/pants.

HEADWEAR:
Caps should not be worn unless it is a Sojourn logo’d cap.

In sunny weather, brimmed “safari hats” for the purpose of protecting your head/neck from the sun are acceptable.

In cold weather, “beanies” are acceptable (if possible, wear a Sojourn logo’d beanie).

** Sojourn leadership reserves the right to determine what is and is not appropriate Sojourn attire.

All participants should be clothed as follows:

• Closed toed shoes only  (No Sandals, chacos, flip flops, 5-finger shoes)

• Remove jewelry.  Pieces that dangle and could get caught in any equipment are particularly dangerous, but even rings and watches can get caught on equipment and could lead to injury.  Don’t be afraid to have them remove things that could endanger them, tie their hair back, or make other adjustments to maintain safety on the course.

• Participants should be appropriately dressed for the weather.

• (We communicate to participants to wear loose fitting clothes that they do not mind getting dirty and a pair of tennis shoes.)

• The Site Director is required to have a cell phone in the woods during all activity in case of an emergency. 

• Cell phones should not be used in the presence of a group unless directly related to that group and you notify the group of what you are doing.  Acceptable uses include:  taking photos of the group during low elements, using your phone as a stopwatch for an activity, collaborating with another facilitator on the course if absolutely necessary, checking weather.  Again, if doing this in the presence of a group tell them “please excuse me. I’m looking at those dark clouds on the horizon and just wanted to get a quick weather update for us.”

• Aside from the legitimate uses outlined above all phones should remain out of sight and not used for calls, texts, or any other uses while in the presence of participants.

•  Note about photos:  We ENCOURAGE facilitators to snap a few photos of each group during low elements.  While belaying high elements, facilitators should always keep their attention on the physical safety of the group and refrain from taking photos.  Acceptable ways to get photos of high elements are to encourage group members to use their own phones OR to hand your phone to a participant and ask them to snap a few photos for you.

There are 2 different types of operational procedures on any ropes course - Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) that are in effect for every ropes course world-wide and Local Operating Procedures (LOP’s) that vary from course to course based on site-specific needs.

• SOP’s - Standard operating procedures are things that should be in place on all courses in all places and these standards are set by ACCT (Association of Challenge Course Technology).  Examples of these are the use of harnesses on high activities, the use of only locking carabiners to clip participants in, and mandatory course inspections.  ACCT has published the minimum standards that should be effect on every course.  The LOP’s for an individual course will often go above and beyond the overarching SOP’s.

• LOP’s – Local operating procedures are in place on individual courses because there are many variations in ropes course facilities, participant populations, and specific requirements that are needed from site to site.  On our course some examples of our LOP’s are that we always use triple auto-locking carabiners to clip participants into high elements, and our specific procedures for running our zip line.  Facilitators should be familiar with and use LOP’s as a guide in operating the challenge course.  There is not one document that contains a list of all LOP’s but they are contained within the manual as well as the practical training that you receive to facilitate on our course.

Every participant must turn in a waiver which releases Perimeter, CSO, Sojourn, and all facilitators from liability.  If the participant is under 18 years of age, this waiver must be signed by a parent/legal guardian.  Without a properly signed waiver, no one is allowed to participate in any ropes course activities.  This agreement is not acceptable if any additions/deletions have been made by either the participant or the parent.

All participants should turn these in prior to beginning activities for the day.  The Manager on Duty is responsible to collect waivers and pass on any necessary information to facilitators.

As part of the waiver process, each participant is also required to sign the Sojourn Code of Conduct. You should be familiar with the following items in order to enforce these policies with our participants.

The code of conduct states:

I consent to abide by the following code of conduct.  Sojourn Adventures reserves the right to dismiss any participants who engage in the following activities:

• Negative and inappropriate remarks, slurs or jokes about sex, religion, age, handicap, nationality, race, gender or color.

• Fighting or bullying other participants.

• Possession or use of any weapon, illegal drug, or improper use of prescription drugs on campus.

• Entering the restroom opposite of one’s biological sex.  (A single occupancy facility is available upon request)

• Repeated disrespect/hostility to Sojourn staff and leadership.

• Displays of public affection (for example but not limited to kissing, holding of hands, intimate hugging, etc…)

• Deliberate damage or theft of Perimeter Church property.

Due to HIPPA regulations we are not able to ask participants about pertinent medical issues, so we try to inform all guests of the inherent risks involved in our activities and give them the information they need to make good choices for themselves. Specifically, here are the steps taken to try and manage this risk:

1. Our waiver and release of liability states “I have no physical limitations that would keep me from participating on the ropes course today.”  We trust that people read the waiver and are taking responsibility for themselves. 

2. The MOD for the program will discuss “challenge by choice” and mention the inherent risk these activities during the pre-event briefing.  Participants will be encouraged to speak to the Site Director or their facilitator if they have a concern or a question (see below about how to respond if this happens).

3. If there are medical issues that you, as a facilitator become aware of, please only share information with the permission of the participant with the medical issue. (For example:  It would be good for the MOD for a large program to know, so you should ask the participant if it’s ok to share that information with your supervisor.)

If someone approaches you about a cardiac, respiratory, or other medical condition, here is what you DO:

1. Listen - Simply try to gain an understanding of their situation.

2. Educate – Describe what the day will contain including both physical and emotional challenges that may exist so that they have the appropriate information to make a good decision for themselves.

3. Get assistance – If necessary, speak to your MOD or encourage the participant to speak to the MOD directly.*

Here is what you DON’T Do:

1. Do NOT give medical advice - We are NOT doctors and should never give specific medical counsel on how a person should engage in activities. .    

2. Do NOT push or encourage someone to engage in activities if they are uncertain.  - A few good things to share in this situation are:

• "Ultimately, I can't tell you what to do. You may want to get input from your doctor on this decision."

• “We don’t believe that anything out here is worth getting injured over.  If you are uncertain about what’s wise for you physically right now, our encouragement is to refrain from activity.  There will always be other opportunities.”

If YOU are feeling tired or not able to facilitate for any reason, please ask for help.  If a situation that arises that you don’t know how to handle, ask for help.  If you are assigned to an activity that you don’t feel comfortable leading for whatever reason, PLEASE ask for help.  If something just doesn’t look right with the set-up of a particular element, ask for help.  -  We are one team and we are here to support one another.  Staff will not be penalized or demeaned for speaking up and asking for assistance. 

How do I ask for help?

If you are in any of those situations above and need support, the ideal scenario is to ask someone prior to the day of the event or during set-up.  Simply pull aside the MOD or another staff member to express your concern.  If you are on the course with a group and need assistance, then simply use your best judgment to contact the Site Director (via radio, or cell phone if necessary).  It is never acceptable to operate an activity out side of your competency.  Also, here is HOW you go about doing that… “DON’T say in front of the group “this doesn’t look right…” or “I’m not comfortable leading this…”  Instead, say to the group “we are going to take a quick break while I ask my supervisor a question…”.

Routine inspections of our course are designed to assess the condition of the course environment, all constructed low and high challenge course elements, and all equipment.  Our course is inspected in the following ways:

• Annually by a qualified Challenge Course Professional (documented by PVM)

• Twice each year by Sojourn staff (documented by Internal Inspectors)

• Each day the course is being used (documented on Pre-event Checklist)

• Following inclement weather where there is a reason to believe the course may have been negatively impacted.

• Each time an element is used through a visual SEE (Structure / Equipment / Environment) inspection (not documented)