Safesport Training
WGAZ in partnership with WGI Sport of the Arts is committed to building a community where participants can learn together in an atmosphere free of emotional, physical, and sexual misconduct. It is WGAZ policy that all adult supervisors must complete the “SafeSport™ Trained” Abuse Prevention courses before working with participants.
WGAZ defines adult supervisors as “adults in a unit’s managerial, instructional, design, creative, or volunteer team who spend considerable amounts of time with the unit or have a short-term interaction with the unit. Considerable is defined as a weekly in-person interaction with performers and short term is defined as two (2) total hours or more per season of in-person interaction.”
Adult supervisors must complete ONE Safesport™ course each season in the following order:
- SafeSport™ Trained
- Refresher 1: Recognizing and Reporting Misconduct
- Refresher 2: Preventing Misconduct
To view completed courses and enroll in the next required course, log in to your account at safesporttrained.org.
Adult supervisors who have completed SafeSport™ Refresher 2 are already in compliance for the 2025 season.
RETURNING USER: REFRESHER 1 & 2 COURSE DIRECTIONS
FIRST TIME USER: SAFESPORT TRAINING COURSE DIRECTIONS
Documentation of SafeSport course completion for all adult supervisors should be kept on file by the unit – it does not need to be uploaded to the Director’s Dashboard in Competition Suite. During the season, WGAZ will conduct weekly random audits of registered units and units should be prepared to provide this documentation upon request. Units not in compliance will be removed from their registered event.
SafeSport now allows you to make purchases on behalf of others. Please follow the directions, and if you have any questions, please reach out to the SafeSport Support Portal directly.
PURCHASE MULTIPLE ENROLLMENTS DIRECTIONS
SAFESPORT FAQ
WHAT IS THE U.S. CENTER FOR SAFESPORT?
- The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent 501c(3) non-profit organization focused on ending all forms of abuse in sport through abuse prevention, education, and accountability.
- The Center opened its doors in Denver, Colorado, in March 2017, and soon after became federally-authorized under the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 (which became Public Law No: 115-126 on February 14, 2018). The law entrusts the Center as the exclusive authority to respond to reports of allegations of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct within the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and their recognized National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
- The Center is a trusted educational resource for all sports entities, from grassroots amateur sports organizations to professional leagues.
WHY IS ABUSE PREVENTION TRAINING IMPORTANT?
- Training, on its own, does not prevent abuse. But a key component of developing this policy is to convey WGI’s commitment to creating a culture of safety and equipping all within our organization to understand and identify the problem. When everyone has the facts, we can all protect the young people in our care.
HOW CAN WE PAY FOR THE TRAINING FOR OUR STAFF MEMBERS?
- If your organization wants to purchase training for multiple individuals with one payment: please follow these purchasing instructions.
- Email [email protected] for any support or additional questions regarding setup.
MY SCHOOL DISTRICT ALREADY REQUIRES DIFFERENT ABUSE PREVENTION TRAINING. WILL THIS COUNT TOWARDS FULFILLING THE WGI REQUIREMENT?
- No. It is difficult to find a universal approach to this sensitive subject, and we respect the efforts of some school districts in this area. However, as each district has its specific requirements, scholastic units participating in WGAZ should understand that we have adopted this requirement so that everyone in our community has the same information. We are confident that the required training will provide that baseline for everyone participating in WGAZ.
IS THIS REQUIRED FOR PARTICIPATION IN WGAZ VIRTUAL EVENTS?
- Yes. Our commitment to providing a safe, supported, and strengthened environment extends to those groups participating in our virtual events.
CAN INDIVIDUALS SHARE THE "SAFESPORT TRAINED" ABUSE PREVENTION COURSE?
- No. All individuals required to take the training will receive a personalized certificate of completion. Directors of participating units must collect these certificates and keep a copy on file for each active instructional or administrative personnel. Participating units must provide documentation to WGAZ upon demand or through regular and random audits.
OUR UNIT HAS SOMEONE UNDER 18 INSTRUCTING OUR GROUP. WOULD THEY NEED TO FULFILL THE ABUSE PREVENTION TRAINING REQUIREMENT?
- Yes. Anyone in an instructional position of authority over participants would still be subject to this policy.
WHY IS THE EXPENSE OF TAKING THIS MANDATORY TRAINING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARTICIPATING UNIT?
- WGAZ believes abuse prevention training is as essential as insurance, eligibility, and other requirements units must follow to participate. All units should invest in a culture of safety at their organization as much as travel, instruction, equipment, and costumes to protect participants during all their unit activities, not just WGAZ events.