SISP India: Volunteers & Trainees – Cultural Advice & Ethical Guidelines

I hereby declare that I have read, and that I am willing to submit to the values and guidelines expressed in the document “Volunteers & Trainees – Cultural Advice & Ethical Guidelines” (SISP; Kovalam, Kerala – India; 2009), also in situations outside my working hours if I am in presence of people associated with SISP. I understand that any failure to comply with these and the following rules can cause the management team of SISP to terminate the period of my volunteer/trainee agreement:

1. Discrimination on grounds of race, age, belief, religion, political affiliation, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, and physical or mental disability is unacceptable.
2. Possession, use and/or being under influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the SISP center is prohibited. Similarly you are not allowed to smoke cigarettes within the center.
3. Aggressive behavior, both verbal and physical, is unacceptable. This refers among others to intimidation, blackmailing, bullying, insulting, and threatening as well as hitting, kicking, pushing, and pulling one another.
4. An exception to this rule is physical intervention in the context of a conflict among children and young people themselves where the intervention is necessary to ensure the physical safety of the concerned parties.
5. Any type of sexual intimidation and/or abuse of children and/or youth is strictly prohibited. In this context any sexual attention in verbal, nonverbal, or physical sense will be interpreted as a violation to this rule regardless of whether the child/youth seem to mind it or not. Any romantic and/or intimate relationships with members of the staff or senior students are likewise prohibited.
6. It is required for all staff members, volunteers, and trainees to respect a code of confidentiality. This means not mentioning any information that could be used to identify any particular individual or group associated with SISP. This type of information includes names and any personal physical or mental characteristics. This code is in effect during the working hours, after the working hours, even after you end your stay at SISP India.
7. Private donations to any particular individual and/or group associated with SISP is not allowed during working hours (9 am to 6 pm), at the center or at any SISP related event. Any exception requires a clear prior consent from the management.

If a failure to comply with these rules should be observed, it must be reported to the management.

On behalf of the management:                                     The volunteer/trainee:

­­­­­­­­­­­­Name, Date, Signature:                                                 Name, Date, Signature: