Youth Programme terms and conditions

Background

The St John youth Programme is a membership-based, uniformed, Positive Youth Development Programme. The St John youth Programme is inclusive and non-discriminatory. The Youth Programme is delivered locally in Youth Divisions which are led by volunteer teams.

The Youth Division

Youth members belong to a local Youth Division. The Division meets once a week during school terms, these meetings usually occur in the evenings, but times may vary. The Divisional Management team will advise you of any changes in meeting times or locations as soon as possible.

The Division is where most of our programme is delivered, and where most young people will have their experience of St John youth.

Our Volunteers

Youth Divisions are run by volunteer leaders, officers, and cadet non-commissioned officers. Families acknowledge that our leaders, officers, and NCOs (non-commissioned officers) are volunteers and doing the best possible job.

Additional Opportunities

The St John youth Programme provides a number of additional opportunities outside the Youth Division, in the form of camps, courses and other activities. The availability of these opportunities may vary due to age requirements, location, and pre-requisites for attendance. These opportunities are optional for our youth members to attend. Young people must have written consent from their parent or caregiver to attend these events or activities.

Families acknowledge that we endeavour to provide equitable access to these opportunities for our young people, wherever possible but that not all opportunities will be available to all youth members.

Membership

Membership is open to young people from six (6) to eighteen (18) years of age.

Membership is based on mutual agreement. Hato Hone St John may withdraw this membership if, in Hato Hone St John’s view, the member's behaviour negatively impacts the enjoyment or security of other young people or the leaders or breaches these terms. Hato Hone St John may also withdraw membership for young people if it believes the behaviour of the parents or caregivers impacts the enjoyment or security of either young people or leaders.

Behaviour

St John youth members are required to act in a way that is in line with our Hato Hone St John values. Matters of violence or dishonesty will not be tolerated. Appropriate behaviour includes behaving constructively, engaging in activities, communicating appropriately, and following the instructions of the leaders, officers, or NCOs in charge. Any behaviour by a youth member that jeopardises the safety of other youth members, contravenes one of our rules, or is outside the bounds of what leaders deem to be acceptable will be discussed with parents or caregivers. These matters may result in the member being suspended, or as noted above, withdrawn from the programme.

As noted above, parents and caregivers are expected to treat our leaders with respect and dignity. Any parent or caregiver whose behaviour, tone or method of communication doesn’t meet this standard may be asked to remove themselves from the premises. This may result in the parent or caregiver being unwelcomed to attend future Hato Hone St John events. This behaviour may also result in the youth member/s of the parent or caregiver being removed from the programme.

Attendance

Youth members should attend their Division every week where possible. If a youth member is unable to attend a Divisional night, the Divisional Manager, or delegate, must be notified prior to the start of the Divisional night.

Membership may be withdrawn if a youth member does not attend for an extended period of time, and no explanation is provided to the Division.

Youth badges are only achieved when all objectives are completed, and low attendance may impact on your young person’s ability to achieve their badges or other awards within the St John youth Programme.

Member Information

Hato Hone St John may from time to time require personal information about its youth members in order to deliver the programme. This information will be requested where required from parents and guardians.

Personal information may include:

• Name of child and parent / guardian
• Contact details for youth member (where applicable) and parents / guardians
• Any relevant information regarding medical conditions, medications, and allergies
• Any specific learning needs or requirements the youth member may have.
• Other information which is relevant to the effective delivery of St John youth programmes.
• Where there are changes to a youth members personal information this should be updated by notifying your child/s Divisional Manager.

Personal information will be dealt with in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and Hato Hone St John’s Privacy Notice which can be found here.

Payment Terms

All fees associated with participation in the St John youth Programme, including Enrolment, Term Fees, Camps and events, are payable at the time of booking via the St John website. All other payments are due on the date specified on any invoice.  

Payment Types

Payments for Youth Programme Enrolments, Term Fees, and some camps and events must be paid via that St John website, and can be paid by Credit or Debit Card at the time of purchase.

Fees

While Hato Hone St John covers many costs associated with the delivery of the  the youth programme, there are nominal fees which are payable by youth members. Fees paid by members go towards  the cost of running the youth programme, including uniforms, supplies for Divisions, and other activity costs. Hato Hone St John is committed to ensuring that cost is not a barrier to membership of the youth programme and attempt to keep costs affordable.  If fees are a barrier we provide a fees assistance programme where families can apply for fees to be reduced or waived.

The fee structure is listed below:

 Term fees must be paid prior to first attendance and will be notified in advance. Term fees are not refundable in the event of non-attendance.  Term fees are to be paid via the St John youth Portal and details on how to do so will be provided.

Where term fees are unpaid without explanation for a full term or more, this may jeopardise a young person's ability to participate in events outside of Division.

Financial Assistance

If you needhelp with the costs of enrolment, term fees, camps or any other products, services or events related to the Youth Programme, you can apply to us for fees assistance. For Fees assistance at enrolment please click here. If you are an existing youth member, you can apply for fees assistance here.  If your application is successful, a voucher code will be provided to you to be used to purchase the agreed product, service, or event on our website.

Voucher code terms and conditions:

Vouchers codes may be issued where families have been approved for the Fees Assistance Programme:

• Voucher codes can only be redeemed through the Youth Portal on the St John youth website.
• Voucher codes are only valid for a limited time and only for the products, services, and/or events specified by Hato Hone St John.
• Voucher codes can only be used once, unless otherwise specified.
• Voucher codes are not transferable, may not be resold or redeemed for cash.
• Voucher codes cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts or promotional offers unless otherwise specified.
• Hato Hone St John reserves the right to void transactions where we believe these or any other of our terms and conditions have been violated.
• Use of these voucher codes confirms your acceptance of the terms of the Fees Assistance Programme.
• Hato Hone St John reserves the right to modify or cancel the voucher code at any time.
• Hato Hone St John reserves the right to update these terms and conditions without prior notice.

Refund Policy:

Enrolment and Term Fees:

• Enrolment and Term fees are membership fees for the St John youth Programme and no refunds will be issued for non-attendance.
• Partial refunds will not be issued should your young person leave the programme part way through a term.

 Courses, Camps and other Optional Activities:

• Cancellations must be advised in writing to St John youth.
• Cancellations received more than seven (7) days before the event are eligible for a full refund.
• Cancellations received more than 48 hours but less than seven (7) days before the event, are eligible for a partial refund of up to 50%.
• Cancellations within 48 hours of an event are not eligible for a refund, except when a medical certificate is provided.
• Where Hato Hone St John cancels an event, you will be issued with a full refund.

Cancellations

Due to circumstances out of our control it is sometimes necessary to cancel Courses, Camp or other optional activities at short notice. Hato Hone St John reserves the right to cancel these events at its sole discretion. Hato Hone St John will take all reasonable steps to inform you of any cancellation as soon as possible. Hato Hone St John will not be responsible for any costs incurred due to the event cancellation. Bookings may be transferred to another event date as agreed with you.

COVID19

Where any event is cancelled due to COVID19, we will endeavour to refund costs or tranfer the credit of that event to another similar event if possible.

Price Guarantee

The price paid for goods and services purchased through any St John website will be the price at the time order is confirmed. Hato Hone St John is under no obligation to honour pricing on uncompleted, declined, or otherwise incomplete transactions where that pricing varies from current advertised pricing on our website, or where the pricing is the result of an error on our part or the part of our suppliers, partners or agencies.

Resignations

You may resign your young person from the St John youth Programme at any time. You must notify your Divisional Manager of your intent to resign your young person:

• If you resign your young person part way through the term, you will not be eligible for a refund of the remainder of that term’s fees.
• Upon resignation from the programme, you must return all issued uniform items to your Division.
  • If these uniform items are not returned within one term of the resignation, you may be invoiced for the cost of the uniform.

Uniform

All youth members will be issued with an appropriate level of uniform. They will be supplied with replacement items on an as required basis. All uniform items must be returned if the member leaves the Youth Programme.

Child Protection

Hato Hone St John is committed to providing a safe space for all our members and volunteers. We have a robust Child Protection policy developed by Hato Hone St John and reviewed by Child Matters, New Zealand's leading body for child safety. The policy outlines all the things we do to ensure the safety and well-being of the young people in Hato Hone St John and includes everything from appropriate conduct to managing hazards effectively

All our youth leaders go through a robust recruitment process and must meet the requirement of our Child Protection Policy. They undertake interviews, character references, and Police checks before becoming volunteers. We also have a culture where our leaders challenge inappropriate behaviour and actions. We also have a set of clear reporting lines for our leaders and officers and a structure that supports reporting incidents and concerns.

Our leaders are obligated to report any allegations or suspicions of abuse to the police or Oranga Tamariki.

Parent and Caregiver Availability

Whenever your young person attends a St John youth Division, event or other activity, a parent or caregiver must be available to collect them in the case of an emergency or behaviour issue. If you are going to be unable to collect your young person, then you must identify an adult who can pick up the young person should the need arise, and this must be told to the Hato Hone St John Leaders in advance of the event.

Complaints/Compliments

We do our best to provide a great Youth Programme across New Zealand, but if you feel our service is not up to standard then please tell us about it. Complaints can be made directly to Youth@stjohn.org.nz or by mail.

Our mailing address is:

Hato Hone St John New Zealand

600 Great South Road

Ellerslie

Auckland, 1051

New Zealand

Member COVID-19 Vaccination Status

Requirements around contact tracing, mask wearing, and social distancing may also apply depending on the protection framework that we are working under. Members should be prepared to wear a mask if needed, contact trace on entry and prove vaccination status if required.

Hato Hone St John Policy

By enrolling your young person in the St John youth Programme, you agree, that both you and your young person, will follow all Hato Hone St John Policies and Procedures as may be notified to you by Hato Hone St John, or its staff from time to time.