TIP gives teens a meaningful volunteer opportunity in the community.
TIP Teens allows those 14-21 years of age to be active responders in the Trauma Intervention Program. Using Teens in the local TIP Chapter directly benefits the Teens and will also enhance the capability of TIP to serve youth who have been traumatized. The objectives of using Teens are threefold:
To increase the awareness of Teens about the plight of survivors and to develop the Teens’ emotional first aid skills. To give Teens a meaningful opportunity to serve others. To increase the effectiveness of our TIP Chapter to help traumatized children and adolescents by using Teens who can establish “a connection” with survivors. However, Teens are also effective with adults survivors.
How the TIP Chapter will use TIP Teens.
Following are examples of how the TIP Teens will be involved:
As members of the TIP intervention team responding to crisis scenes.
As “backup” responders when there are traumatized teens or children on scene.
As responders with special skills (bilingual, for example) that are called upon when needed.
As members of the TIP Speakers Bureau that assist in talking about TIP in schools.
As “eyes and ears” of TIP in the community. For example, a TIP Teen may deliver helpful materials to a teen that has experienced a traumatic event in a high school.
Benefits.
TIP Teens report that they use their TIP skills beyond the TIP program. For example, TIP Teens say:
“I used my TIP skills to help a friend at school who lost his father”.
“I was able to help on my job after a robbery because of my TIP experience.”
“I now listen a lot more when my friend has a problem.”
TIP Teens serve as a link between the TIP Chapter and local schools and youth organizations. TIP more effectively serves children and adolescents that have been emotionally traumatized because of the addition of TIP Teens to our organization.
Policies and Procedures.
TIP Teens attend the same Training Academy as adult TIP responders. TIP Teens sign a Volunteer Contract similar to the TIP Volunteer Contract and will be expected to attend monthly continuing education meetings.
Each TIP Teen’s involvement will be contingent on written permission of a parent or a guardian. The parent or guardian must accompany the potential TIP Teen to the Orientation Meeting of the Training Academy. The potential TIP Teen and their parents or guardian will be interviewed by a TIP staff person prior to the teen being accepted into the Training Academy. Each Teen will be assigned to a TIP mentor.
TIP Teens will be paired on the monthly schedule with a TIP adult. When a call comes in, the TIP Teen will respond to the scene and will await the arrival of the TIP adult. TIP Teens will never take a call alone and will never be left alone at a scene.
A TIP Teen may be called as a “backup responder” who is requested by TIP already on scene. The requesting TIP responder will notify on scene emergency personnel that a TIP Teen will be arriving, and the TIP adult will ensure that the TIP Teen is properly greeted and briefed upon arrival.
TIP people will make every effort to provide guidance and protection (if necessary) to the TIP Teen while on scene. Generally, TIP Teens will work closely “side by side” with their adult TIP partners.