Bizarre, Sad, Sickening Concerns About The Outside World Yield ‘What Would Paul Do’ Questions… Among Others.
News/Analysis/Opinion By James R. Campbell, ANN CEO/Editor-in-Chief
'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.' Martin Luther King Jr.
I hate to admit it… But I’m coming to an age when the ‘good old days’ are becoming something that I think of quite fondly—and way too often… Especially in light of the colder realities of the world we live in.
No matter how hard we try to build lives that are good and meaningful and positive and powerful in our own ways, the ugly(er) side of life has a tendency to intrude more and more in a world where nothing seems sacred, nothing seems safe, and (certainly) nothing seems private.
Imagine my lack of surprise when I began to take note, over the last few weeks, of a brewing hubbub occurring within the ranks of EAA members who had taken on the immense responsibility of promoting and participating in the highly lauded Young Eagles program. These folks were responding, vociferously, to a directive from EAA that required that those who were working in any significant way, with the youngsters (especially via Young Eagles), would heretofore be required to take a training course, and pass a basic background check.
Before we get into the histrionics, here’s a breakdown about what has occurred, fact-wise.
Last year, a bit before AirVenture, EAA started disseminating their intention to make some changes to the Young Eagles program via number of affiliated outlets…
“EAA staff is creating a Youth Protection Program for our members and volunteers actively engaged in youth programs. The main goal is to provide a consistent organization-wide program that creates awareness and provides education to volunteers on the best practices of working with youth. As an organization that actively engages in youth activities, EAA feels it is important to ensure our volunteers have the appropriate training and knowledge to effectively work with this audience. The program will be introduced in greater detail to the volunteer chairs and chapter leaders in the next few months. We have volunteers assisting in the implementation and testing of the program. We look forward to sharing the tools with you soon.”
More recently, EAA dropped the details without a whole lot of hoopla, and a war of words ensued.
The details include…
“EAA’s Youth Protection Policy and Program sets basic requirements for EAA staff and volunteers who work with children under age 18. It includes online best-practices training and, for certain categories of volunteers, a basic background check (U.S. residents only).* Our reason for these requirements is that kids should be safe, so we must take action to advance the safety of kids in EAA-related programs – whether operated by EAA or by one of our chapters – for the sake of the kids, their parents and guardians, and the volunteers who work with them.
All of the following persons are required to complete both the online training and background check by May 1, 2016. Both steps are necessary and the cost is covered by EAA.
- All Young Eagles pilots
- All Chapter Young Eagles Coordinators and Field Service Representatives
- Two-deep leadership supervisors (see Section 4 of the Policy)
- Volunteers who will work with youth in general:
- Four (4) hours or more at any one (1) time; or
- Four (4) times or more in any calendar year; or
- Four (4) times or more with any particular Youth.
- Note that “Volunteers” includes, among others, parents and legal guardians of any youth participants
- EAA staff
Note: While not all volunteers who will work in some capacity with youth in an EAA-related program or event are required to complete Training and Criminal History Background Checks, we strongly encourage them to complete both steps.
* At the publication date of this Policy, EAA is not yet able to provide background checks in Canada because of unique Canadian laws. EAA will offer background checks covering Canadian residents as soon as possible.”
A website was created that allowed, for those affected, to take the requisite training course as well as complete the background check via a certified commercial vendor.
EAA’s Dick Knapinski has responded well to a number of our questions and was forthcoming in a discussion that took the better part of an hour… and yes, I was (as usual) about as subtle as a Sherman tank.
In response to several of our follow-on questions, mostly noting some of the concerns that seemed unresolved among the EAA Forums, we learned the following:
‘...As for privacy, the AmericanChecked firm doing the background checks is well-regarded and accredited. There’s more at www.americanchecked.com. In addition, its privacy policy is here: http://americanchecked.com/privacy-policy/. They’ve even welcomed those EAA members who had specific questions to contact them.
Both American Checked and EAA have insurance to cover any breach of information. As with any insurance, we hope it never gets used.’
Dick also noted that, ‘...One item you might be interested in (which some members have asked us about) is a unique URL for the background check page. It starts with www04… We asked AmericanChecked about that, and it is a specially designed web address that adds an additional layer of security. I guess some phishers would look for EAA in a website address. This prevents that.’
As previously noted, the program has not gone over well with a significant percentage of those commenting in the open EAA Forums that have accommodated all manner of outcry, support, explanation, questions and a DC-3 sized load of controversy.
Over the ensuing course of several hundred contributions to the EAA forum site, Young Eagle participants were alternately outraged, understanding, incredulous, and somewhat unglued over the concept that all this good work they were doing could be viewed by anyone with even the tiniest hint of suspicion. And for the briefest fraction of a second, you could count me among them.
But these are not kinder times. Dear God… no, they certainly are not.
Whether you are working with the Boy Scouts of America, or the Girl Scouts, ANYWHERE in the modern education system, any number of youth groups, or even a member of the clergy; the dirty reality exists that sooner or later the sickest amongst us will tarnish even the greatest of our best intentions and aspirations. And so it is now with the EAA Young Eagles program, where nearly 2 million young people have been privileged to enjoy a few minutes aloft with the generous, outgoing, powerfully motivated pilots and other aviation personnel who want nothing more than to raise the awareness of an emerging growing mind to the possibilities that flight brings.
Bless them all… but these are really weird times…and even such lofty ambitions can (and probably should) be viewed with a modicum of reserve and suspicion.
It is one of the most noble of all aviation programs, and I’m sorry to say that the dirty brush of vicious reality has tarnished it…
And nobody likes it.
Me, amongst the least of many.
In the EAA forums, you will find strident notes of protest, people who swear they will never fly another Young Eagle, others who will apparently go on flying Young Eagles -- but may not be part of the EAA program -- as well as others who are willing to cooperate with reasonable protections -- but within certain limits. Few have said that they have no questions about this… but many note they will do what they must… while others (including, reportedly, whole EAA Chapters) simply throw in the towel… and, again, they all have solid/valid reasons for their decisions. There are few, if any of these opinions that can’t be readily validated.
Many objected to the submission of their Social Security numbers, and some changes in the last week or so have apparently eliminated that specific submission requirement (and others are apparently under consideration).
But, the reality is that some 2000 pilots and Young Eagle personnel have apparently already gone through the process and willingly given up some of their privacy (or a lot, depending on how you look at it), while dozens/hundreds of others have already indicated that either they or their entire chapters are getting out of the game.
The confusing part of this, again, is that I understand (often agreeing) virtually every argument everyone has made on the subject. I must also admit that I have become very careful of my own personal privacy and information over the years because of a number of invasions/attacks by some very weird people -- including one vicious soul who’s made a number of ponderous comments to the very EAA forums I’ve been reading (and will, no doubt, do so again once he reads this).
Many have found fault with how the EAA has rolled out this program, and I have to conclude that there is some evidence that this may be true -- but then again it’s such a downright ugly subject, I’m not quite sure how you roll something like this out and make it palatable. Nonetheless, EAA really needs to speak up more about what has occurred and the process they have elected to undertake. There is no small amount of confusion and concern about this issue. And I'm (REALLY) glad I'm not the guy who has to address this on behalf of EAA.
And again, of the nearly 400 comments that I’ve read thus far, I can’t say that any significant number are wrong, even those that contradict/or are in extreme opposition to one another, because it’s such a deeply personal issue and let’s face it, the ‘ewwwww’ factor on this one is at an all time high.
I find myself drawn to conclude that like those who have such deep concerns over the future of the Young Eagles program, the damage that may be caused by all this, and the bleak vicious reality of such an ugly requirement -- that it was only a matter of time before problems like this eventually came up.
Also; let’s be brutally honest about what we’re dealing with here…
No matter how you look at it, the lofty, honorable, extraordinary (truly) and powerful aims of the Young Eagles program have not come without significant risk and concern. Two children (and their pilots) have lost their lives in accidents -- against the nearly 2 million who have enjoyed the vibrant, life-changing Aero-Awakening this program allows. Statistically; it could have been worse… but it’s still a ghastly bit of truth.
No good deed goes unpunished…Sigh.
And, to get to the elephant in the room, we have also become aware of a number of persons who have either been arrested, or are under investigation, who have been associated with the Young Eagles program (with at least one who has been booted from the program) and have been charged (though yet unconvicted, mind you) with crimes of molestation and equivalent perversions. In one case, one person had flown over 100 YE flights, and another some 500… while one of those charged is reported to have molested children aboard his Cessna. Mind you; I am NOT aware that any of these horrific actions occurred during a Young Eagle event... nor can I say that they have not. I have been told that there may be one or two other cases of suspicious character's involvement, that are being investigated, but have no verification.
I think I feel nauseous.
No, I’m certain I do.
From my conversations with the EAA, this was not a decision that was made lightly, and the resulting actions are apparently similar to the kinds of programs that have been espoused or utilized by other organizations with significant contact with young people – and yes, all manner of the EAA hierarchy (including Jack Pelton) have weighed in, or been consulted at various times, as this is gone forward. And while a few people seem to think that this was put forth a little too quickly, I have been advised and confirmed documentation that has provided some basic warnings from headquarters of the impending need for this, for a number of months via online/written communications that were sent to those involved in these programs.
I sympathize with those who are concerned about giving information and who have been victimized by those who would harm them with such info, because I’m one of those, and for damned good reason (the Cirrus abuses/attacks, in particular). At the same time, I’m pleased that one of the most critical pieces of information (and one most often cited as instrumental to the abuse of one’s Privacy and a part of many ID Theft cases), formerly required, has since been deleted as a necessary submission. I’m in the process of looking over all that is involved, including the training program that will be utilized, in the future for all those working with Young Eagles, and other EAA programs that put them in contact with young persons.
I hate that this has come to pass, but I have a hard time, as someone close to a love one I cared about very much (who had been a victim of this kind of vicious crime), seeing any way out of this dilemma but taking solid, and regrettably necessary, steps to make sure that the work that EAA and Young Eagles performs is, as much as possible, beyond reasonable suspicion.
Is it enough? I don't know.
Is it too much? I don't know.
Damned if you do… even more damned if you don’t.
EAA is apparently aware of the fact that the matter could have been explained better and they are in the process of supporting this program with additional data, explanations and outreach. I found Knapinski quite interested in some of the ideas that we discussed to make this happen and I detected no hesitation or evasion on his part.
And yes, while this could have been done better (somehow, maybe, kinda)… I have to be perfectly fair and note that they do have a lot on their hands (an issue I know all too well), and I can imagine that this effort consumed significant resources…
Say what you will, EAA is paying serious dollars to make sure that these programs are squeaky clean, as much as they can manage, going forward. EAA members are not being asked for any additional money to participate in this (though EAA funds are being expended). And yes, we have more questions and will follow up with Dick and Jack Pelton in the not too distant future.
At the moment, there is a rather unscientific, completely voluntary, opinion quiz on eaaforums.org. Of the 87 respondents; the breakdown is as follows:
- 11.49% respond that they will “…will comply with YE background security checks including submitting SSN.
- 10.43% respond that, “…I will comply with YE background security checks but only if SSN requirement is removed.”
- 50.57% say that they “…will not comply unless the YE background security checks is drastically revised.”
- 27.59% indicate that they “…will never comply with any type of YE background security checks.”
These results indicate that EAA has some work to do to mollify their membership if these members represent the true percentage of the feelings involved in this program. At the same time, approximately a third of those that are likely to be affected by these requirements have already completed the program requirements and been cleared for future participation. It will take several more weeks to gauge how seriously these requirements will affect the future of the Young Eagles program… which one way or another, should see its 2 millionth young person flown in just a matter of weeks.
I have spent the entire day buried in this sordid topic and found it to be about as unpleasant as any I’ve dealt with, in a long time. I have no doubt that this is a feeling shared by many. BUT… despite those that think that EAA totally screwed the pooch on this one… I’m having a hard time coming to that conclusion… especially when I think of having to comfort someone I loved a long time ago -- someone that was still feeling the horrors of her own victimization decades before. The horror never quite goes away… and whatever we can all do to stop anyone else from dealing with these awful crimes, seems (on its face) to be a reasonable pursuit, so long as a sense of reason guides those attempting to create a safe environment for those who may not yet be able to defend themselves.
The one thing that I certain of, is that I am truly pleased to have not had to wade too deeply, myself, into the ugliness that surrounded the decision-making process that EAA has had to pursue to get to this point. I don’t doubt that there have been many sleepless nights among those who had to deal, intimately, with the vicious reality of that part of our world that has gone completely mad. And for those, who feel abused and concerned over having to deal with such indignities through NO fault of their own, I totally get that, too.
We’ll have some more follow-ups shortly and will be reaching out to Jack Pelton for some of his thoughts in the near future.
Man… I need to find something different/pleasant to deal with… right now.
At the same time, I mirror the thoughts expressed by a respondent to this dilemma…
‘What Would Paul Do?’
I sure miss the days when I could call him up and work over such a topic with him… but again, those were indeed the good old days.
I miss them.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.16.24)
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