Why I've changed my mind on the new Youth Protection Policy

[Jeff Point]

While I have been strongly against the new YPP, both on this forums and at the local level, I believe that the program has been sufficiently repaired that I can now support it. To be clear, it is far from perfect, but it is at least acceptable to me and I will comply with it in order to continue to fly YE after May 1. This was not a certainty as recently as last week, and I was strongly considering dropping out of the program entirely. I know that many others are going through the same thought process.

The changes that have made this program acceptable to me are:

1. The recognition that a one-size-fits-all policy is unworkable.
2. Removal of the SSN requirement for background checks. This does not eliminate the risk of ID theft following a data breach, but it does mitigate it.
3. Rescinding the overly bureaucratic, confusing and downright contradictory restrictions on photography.
4. Removal of the requirement for all ground crew to comply with YPP if they volunteer above certain time thresholds.
5. The indirect lowering of the onerous paperwork burden that would be placed on the chapters to show compliance with #4. This was never fully recognized by HQ, another clear sign that they are out of touch with the real world of YE.

I am still deeply unhappy with how this program was rolled out and the poor communication from HQ. EAA will lose membership and YE will lose support over this, and these wounds are completely self-inflicted. I don't think I'm overstating things when I say that whoever at HQ was responsible for this debacle (and I don't mean Jack) needs to lose their job. In the post-Hightower era, EAA can ill afford these sort of missteps. Yes, it's that important, and in this member's opinion EAA is ill served by those in senior leadership who foisted this upon the organization.

Thank you for indulging this rant. I look forward to the continued success of EAA and of YE, and I support Jack and the board in the difficult decisions that will be needed to ensure that success.

[Mayhemxpc]

Jeff,

You make good points that it is no longer as bad as it was. It is, however, still poorly thought and and worse executed.

-- It still needlessly exposes PII in the form of a background check. (Note, the original background check system developed for other organizations came about before there was a DOJ SOR database. This now eliminates almost all need for an intrusive, risk laden, and statistically unsupported background check.)

-- Although I am all in favor of training, the training program is inadequate. The training did NOT take 15-20 minutes. I completed it in 5 minutes flat. Now part of that may be because I have gone through similar training several times now, but that also means I know that the EAA training does not adequately address the things we need to know to avoid or identify problems before they happen. That and there is at least one question for which no correct answer is offered. There is, however, an obviously politically correct choice. This is negative training.

-- although I commend dropping the background check requirement for certain ground staff, what makes pilots a higher risk, requiring background checks, than these ground staff volunteers?

-- I give credit to EAA management for the changes that have been made, but I still believe that they should stop the program until it has been thoroughly vetted, checked, and tested.

I appreciate the changes that are made, but it still has a long way to go. My chapter has its first YE event in a few weeks -- before the deadline. After that I will carefully consider whether to submit and continue to push for a better system or push until the system is fixed before I resume participation.

The only thing necessary for something undesirable to become inevitable is if too many people accept inevitability and let it happen. In reality, as columnist Norman Stone once noted: "inevitability has a rather bad track record."

[Jeff Point]

I can't much disagree with anything you said Chris. I hope they continue to work on fixing this to your (and everyone else's) satisfaction. In the mean time, let's direct our energy at fixing the real problems within EAA management. At the end of the day this YPP and all of it's associated drama is merely a symptom of the larger problem.

[combahee]

Why does the EAA feel a need to go through all this, particularly as it applies to the YE program? They still have not answered this to everyone's satisfaction.
The background check will tell them nothing. Convicted offenders are already prohibited from being around children. If caught they go to jail. The background check puts our information into the hands of a third party vendor, and the EAA. Safeguards are not known. What if there is a breach? This is supposed to be repeated every 3 years!
If there is a data breach, how is the EAA going to mitigate it? When my information was stolen from the State, they provided me with multi- year monitoring.
If something was to turn up on a background check the EAA will review the matter. Who is reviewing this, and what qualifications do they have?
The two deep leadership is still in place. Basically two people who do nothing more than monitor the activities. What if there isn't enough to fulfill this role on the ground? Do we cancel the flights?
What protection is the EAA providing me the pilot?
I don't care how many background checks and online courses we do, we, the volunteers and EAA, can and will be subject to suits and incrimination. This whole thing is like charging windmills. The EAA wants protection but offers no protections to the volunteers and pilots? How about an insurance policy that covers us and defends us if there is a suit?

[Mayhemxpc]

... In the mean time, let's direct our energy at fixing the real problems within EAA management. At the end of the day this YPP and all of it's associated drama is merely a symptom of the larger problem.

!!!

[Jeff Point]

Why does the EAA feel a need to go through all this, particularly as it applies to the YE program? They still have not answered this to everyone's satisfaction.

They'll never answer it to everyone's satisfaction, however they have answered it to my satisfaction, and that's why I started this thread.

To EAA- since concerns over the background check and identity theft seem to dominate the reaction, perhaps as an olive branch you could work on negotiating a discounted corporate rate on a service like LifeLock. That might help ease some people's fears and would be a good gesture of goodwill to start the healing process.

[WeaverJ3Cub]

I agree Jeff. It's an unfortunate necessity in our times and they have fixed it well enough.

However, I went through the training before the SSN requirement was rescinded. I'd REALLY like to get that purged from the database but can't get a response from EAA. I work in IT and know that no system is impervious to attack. ID theft is a big concern. I feel very compromised.

Sure it was "my fault" for taking the training but I naively didn't think they'd back down and wanted to start flying YE this year.

So, I'm happy with where it is, but not where it was.

[Eric Cernjar]

I agree Jeff. It's an unfortunate necessity in our times and they have fixed it well enough.

However, I went through the training before the SSN requirement was rescinded. I'd REALLY like to get that purged from the database but can't get a response from EAA. I work in IT and know that no system is impervious to attack. ID theft is a big concern. I feel very compromised.

Sure it was "my fault" for taking the training but I naively didn't think they'd back down and wanted to start flying YE this year.

So, I'm happy with where it is, but not where it was.

I don't have all the details yet, but your SSN is going to be purged so that it is not at all connected to the info that you submitted. I can provide you more detailed info on that if you are interested, but we are taking care of that concern.

Thanks,
Eric

[dusterpilot]

I don't have all the details yet, but your SSN is going to be purged so that it is not at all connected to the info that you submitted.

Will that apply to EVERYONE who submitted their SSN before the change?

[Eric Cernjar]

Will that apply to EVERYONE who submitted their SSN before the change?

Yes it will.