Volunteer policy — program teams (draft)¶
Status: Draft for board adoption. Operational plan: Junior Mentor Program.
Scope: Apex STEM Education program teams (e.g. Ridge Racers NJ). Covers Junior STEM Mentors (high-school students), Session Supervisors (adults), and logistics-only helpers. Not trustees, paid staff, or registered STEM Racing student competitors (student guide).
Core principle: Student mentors coach STEM; adults are responsible for supervision and safety. High-schoolers are never the responsible adult.
Year 1 reality: Most sessions will be one adult + one HS volunteer (or solo adult). That is OK when the supervision model is followed — open group, capped headcount, backup adult on call, no shop/tools solo. Two adults is preferred for tools and large groups, not required every week.
Program structure¶
| Role | Onboarding |
|---|---|
| Junior STEM Mentor (HS student) | volunteer onboarding |
| Session Supervisor (adult) | adult supervisor onboarding |
| Logistics-only helper (HS or adult, no STEM mentoring) | volunteer onboarding — logistics sections |
Full recruitment, pilot sizing, and pipelines: junior_mentor_program.md.
Eligibility¶
- Junior STEM Mentors: High-school students (typically WHRHS juniors/seniors) with parent/guardian consent; STEM interest; application on file.
- Session Supervisors: Phase 1 — known parents only; Phase 2 — referrals; Phase 3 — formal screening (VRO/CARI as applicable).
- Logistics helpers: Community members, alumni, siblings not on official roster — same supervision rules apply.
- School-affiliated volunteers: team_lead confirms district clearance before on-campus activity.
Supervision (required)¶
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Adult present | Minimum one adult (18+) Session Supervisor every session — HS mentors never count as adults |
| Solo-adult sessions | OK for small open-group meetings if headcount capped (see program plan); no shop/power tools without a second adult |
| Two adults | Preferred for larger groups, tools, and events — not required every week if backup adult is on call |
| Group settings | No one-on-one closed-door mentoring |
| Communications | Parent-visible channels only — no private DMs with younger students |
| Transportation | No volunteer transport of minors — parents handle drop-off/pickup |
| Tools | Adults control power tools, chemicals, sharp tools, and shop equipment |
| Sign-in/out | Student name, parent contact, arrival, departure — private Sheet or Drive, not git |
Prefer logistics helpers work in open areas with adults present; never solo work with other minors.
Waiver, background checks, insurance¶
| Requirement | Status |
|---|---|
| Waiver + media release | Required before first activity — waiver procedure |
| Parent permission (HS volunteers) | Required — HS volunteers are also minors |
| Background checks | Phase 3 — VRO/CARI when board adopts; until then closed-network adults only |
| Code of conduct | Board adoption pending — all participants |
| General liability insurance | Confirm with board before claiming coverage (business plan §8) |
Access & tools¶
| Tool | Default for volunteers |
|---|---|
| Freedcamp | Yes — task assignments from team_lead |
docs.apexstem.org |
No (Year 1) — send PDF/links instead |
| Sponsor CRM, finance, roster exports | No |
Cloudflare group apex-volunteers is documented only until path-based Access is wired (rbac-groups).
Scope of work¶
- Junior STEM Mentors: CAD, research, design support, testing help, documentation, presentations — students retain ownership of competition deliverables (STEM Racing student-led rules).
- Session Supervisors: Safety, attendance, behavior, parent communication — not required to be STEM experts.
- Logistics helpers: Setup, packing, booth, errands with an adult — no sponsor/finance/roster access.
Service hours¶
Junior STEM Mentors needing school credit: team_lead provides signed letter or log after board template exists; until then, mentor attestation on school form only. WHRHS NHS and similar programs require documented community service — log hours per session with sign-in sheet.
Offboarding¶
When a volunteer stops: remove Freedcamp access; remove docs login if any; update roster Sheet; retain waivers per board retention policy. Freedcamp admin: technical admin or team_lead (integrations).
Board adoption checklist¶
- [ ] Approve Junior Mentor Program and two-role model
- [ ] Approve supervision model (1 adult minimum; 2 when practical) and sign-in/out
- [ ] Approve closed-network vetting phases + Phase 3 screening trigger
- [ ] Approve waiver/media form template
- [ ] Confirm GL insurance covers program volunteers
- [ ] Set retention period for waivers in Drive
- [ ] Minutes reference this policy ID