Local coordinators: catalysts for change
Monday, April 17, 2023
Jan Rayburn
Change. Ugh. Unless it is in the form of a gold coin, most people don’t like it.
How many of us are still adhering to our New Year’s resolutions? For that matter, how many made it through Lent abstaining from ... whatever? You know what I mean. You gave up cookies but by the third week you gave up only chocolate chip cookies and by Holy Week you gave up only chocolate chip cookies with more than 5 chips in them. (I won’t tell.)
And who likes changing the clocks an hour? If you like it in the spring, you hate it in the fall. Or vice versa. Lose an hour? Gain an hour? Either way I’ll probably be late for work the next week. It takes time to adjust to change.
Although sometimes change is for the better. How about the really big changes like starting a new job, changing schools, or moving? I was thinking about big changes in my life and realized I have lived in 22 places across the U.S. That’s a lot, considering I have lived in my current house for 35 years. No, I’m not a centenarian. It just took me a while to find home. I welcomed that change.
With so many of us having a disdain for change, how fun is it to be saddled with — I mean tasked with — serving as a catalyst for change. Essentially, that is what a “local coordinator” is called to do: changing the hearts, minds, and behaviors of those around the children in their care. Thank goodness they have jumped on the horse, grabbed for the reins, and whooped a resounding giddy-up!
A local coordinator oversees compliance and record-keeping of the Archdiocese of Miami’s Safe Environment Policy for their site. That means communicating to their clergy, religious, employees, vendors, and volunteers the need for a background check every five years through fingerprinting. Not only because of policy, but also because it is state law.
Oh great, I have to go register online and then find the right location after work instead of going right home. I’ll be late for dinner. Not to mention going through the humiliation of being fingerprinted. At least it no longer involves the tell-tale signs of black ink.
I am sure this is what some are thinking. But wait there’s more. Next, the local coordinator gets to tell them about the online Virtus training course that must be completed before they can serve, and which will include monthly bulletins. I remember when leading live Virtus training sessions many attendees expressed their frustration, to put it mildly, at having to take the course. Others showed you the same at the sign-in table through raised eyebrows and a crooked smile. However, it was those same people, along with most others in attendance, who at the end of the session expressed understanding and appreciation for the course.
More than anything else, this reversal encapsulates the success of the local coordinator as a catalyst for change: changing the hearts, minds, and behaviors regarding compliance one participant at a time.
Currently, we give the Virtus initial training course online so it can be accessed 24/7 and completed in approximately 90 minutes. The third main component of compliance, the Pledge to Promote Safe Environment, is already signed electronically through the Virtus registration, so it barely warrants a stink eye.
Still, it is that initial resistant attitude and apprehension that the local coordinator deals with on a daily basis. And they do so sitting tall in the saddle exuding understanding and compassion. No doubt motivated by the vital importance of compliance and the very real danger of non-compliance, they calmly and diligently explain that all these requirements are designed to keep children — possibly including the participants’ own children — and vulnerable adults safe, as was promised by the bishops through the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. (The ADOM policy includes vulnerable adults because in the state of Florida, with so many healthcare facilities and retirees, it would be unconscionable not to include them.)
It is imperative that clergy, religious, and employees representing the Church, as well as the well-respected parents serving as volunteers and all volunteers with access to children, set the example. They are considered people of trust, especially by the children themselves and by the adults around children. It is their support of the policy and the integrity of their actions that shows others — be it in their parishes, schools, neighborhoods or beyond — that we put child protection first. Because people are watching. Because predators are watching. Because being a little inconvenienced is insignificant when it comes to the safety and well-being of all God’s children, which of course includes the vulnerable adults in our care.
No one knows this better than the local coordinators at our parishes, schools, and other entities. It’s a thankless job. Did I mention they also need to send reports, forms, and letters to the Safe Environment Office for review by the independent auditors and potentially be ready for a surprise visit from those same auditors?
So the next time you see the local coordinator at your site, maybe replace that crooked smile with a genuine one. Or, since Lent is over, bring them a cookie. I hear Night Owl is open until 2 a.m. They have a scrumptious chocolate chip cookie!
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