Safety Committee

Updated April 2022

Safety Committee Description
The role of the Safety Committee is to advise AYCO/ACE staff on the implementation of the ACE Circus Arts Safety Program, including guidance about the growth, visibility, and success of the Circus Arts Safety Network. The committee is also responsible for reviewing and updating the Guidelines for Circus Arts Safety Network Members every 2 years with input from the AYCO/ACE, community and for reviewing and updating the AYCO/ACE Event Safety Guidelines. The committee is composed of 4-6 volunteer members with one member serving as chair and meets a minimum of 3 times per year.

Safety Committee Actions
+ Reviewing and updating the Circus Arts Safety Network Guidelines every 2 years following the EdCon
+ Reviewing and updating the ACE Festival Safety Guidelines every 2 years following the EdCon
+ Hosting 3x / year Safety Network Call

Safety Committee Meetings
+ Committee meets at least 3 times per year for a minimum of 1 hour per meeting. Years when guidelines are under review (years following the most recent EdCon), committee may meet more than 3 times and meetings may be longer than 1 hour.
+ Format: Meetings occur via Zoom

Member Commitment:
+ Term Limits: 2 years, no limit on how many times the role can be renewed
+ Expected Hours per quarter: 2-4  
+ Particular projects may be assumed by members that demand more time. These projects are at the discretion and capacity of the members. 

Responsibilities: 

+ Participate in a minimum of 2 out of 3 Safety Committee meetings per year
+ Support the Safety Consultants by providing resources and content to aid them in their work
+ Stay abreast of national and international safety trends and best practices
+ Advise AYCO’s annual priorities, goals, and activities regarding safety program initiatives and programming 
+ Support the Safety Network by facilitating a minimum of one Safety Network Call annually
+ Attend biannual Festivals and Educators Conferences (recommended)

Safety Committee Member Nomination Process (Rolling)

Interested candidates complete the committee nomination application/survey. At next committee meeting, current committee members will review any applications received, along with the needs of the committee, and vote to add new member(s), defer application(s) to a later meeting, and/or refer the applicant to a project or initiative that may be a better match. ¾ of current members present at a meeting must affirm new members. Chair(s) are currently elected annually by committee members, and new leadership development is encouraged.

Criteria for nomination of new members: We seek to develop a committee membership that reflects diverse safety and circus professional roles (e.g., program director, lawyer, parent, researcher), topical expertise (e.g., event rigging, policy expert, etc.), identities (racial/ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, disability), and organizational affiliations. Nominees should have professional or volunteer experience with AYCO/ACE safety topics, and be committed to working collaboratively in a cross-issue committee to support capacity building nationally. 

Note: The committee hopes in 2021 to develop a larger network of AYCO/ACE members and supporters (beyond “official” committee members) who have interest and/or expertise in participating in specific AYCO/ACE Safety projects. Committee members may help identify and lead such projects, task forces, and subcommittees with non-committee members. If you’re interested in being a part of this larger network of supporters, please email safety@americanyouthcircus.org!