Kids and Courtesy at DMS

Since I was told to post issues on talk by many folks since joining DMS I want to make sure that the board is aware that there was a group of children at the space tonight for 6+ hours with only spotty adult supervision that for a good portion of time were using various power tools. While this is primarily a safety issue they were additionally spread out across the CA area, leaving things across various surfaces even when not in use. I am posting in order to make sure there hasn’t been a breach of DMS policies, Ana that’s all.

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What age range were they?

The father told me a director spoke to him.

Just on a side note I thought the kids were very well behaved but obviously should not be left unattended. .

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@grematl I’d say between five and ten, though I’m not great at gauging age.

@Kriskat30 I’m glad to hear that he had permission. Definitely concerning to me that they were doing woodworking with inconsistent supervision :grimacing:

Lol I didn’t say he had permission, I believe a director told him the opposite.

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there’s not a rule against that is there? Oh wait…

Have to wonder if #4 was done. That can be looked up by an admin. Could be multiple rule violations.

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So we need to clean up makerspace? any localized area of cleaning?

Tonight: If you have to yell for your child twice to find out where they are…you are not watching your child. This should not be allowed! Car was pulling into or backing out…thankfully the child finally answered.

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Board members
I was around the space today and noticed some young makers. Doing many different things which is exciting some under direct adult supervision some NOT.

In the intrest of saftey and understanding for all. My understanding is a person younger then 16 yrs of age should be with and adult at all times. It can take seconds for something to happen and some one get hurt.

How can we help membership at large understand what is and is not ok for young makers?

Maybe some signs could help as we grow need to become more vigilant.

An ounce of prevention better then a pound of cure or a lesson learned the hard way.

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I think this topic is worth some discussion. I have a very responsible 12 year old and I have on occasion left her at a table where she is content to draw using paper and colored pencils she brings with her. She has no interest in our tools or equipment. I’ve done that maybe three times in as many years.

I could make her follow me around everywhere I go but with nothing to do, she will quickly decide that DMS is not a fun place to be and that’s not the lesson I want her to learn.

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Please email [email protected] with the time and any other relevant details about this. Thanks!

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I apologize that she would feel like it isn’t a fun place but she is your responsibility. If you can’t reach her with your hand, she isn’t under your direct supervision. DMS has dangerous tools and people working on differing levels of projects, some more dangerous than others. As responsible as she may be, DMS is not designed for kids.

Anyone under 16 must be under direct supervision, no matter what.

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I’ll do that. Thanks for the email address! :slightly_smiling_face:

As @PearceDunlap said in the discord, there are some people who wrongly believe that CA is “just arts and crafts” and therefore not dangerous. I’m not sure there’s a good way we can disabuse people of that notion, other than having to constantly call them out on it.

Just about everything at DMS is dangerous, there’s probably not a single kid safe area in the building. Which is why the rules are so clear on supervision. The last thing we want is a kid getting injured or worse.

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Any kids left unattended I will teach them how to knife fight and shoplift so they can become masters of their destiny

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Send them to California with a calculator…

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don’t forget hacking and locksport :wink:

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She hasn’t met me!!! Aluminoids.com forever.

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Ban the member(s) in charge of this group of kids for at least a month, and post a sign on the entrance points: “We just banned N member for not supervising their kids. Don’t be next.”

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@jswilson64, let’s not make the banhammer our immediate response for everything, sets a bad precedent; something illegal/dangerous/lethal, sure (i.e. trying to lick the saw blade, cooking meth, stealing from DMS, etc.) But for this, my preferred response would be to have a board member talk with them, to try to make them understand why this is both wrong and a bad idea. Maybe have them issue a public letter of apology. Next offense, ban them for X amount of time

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