Guidelines & Policies
For Parents & Guardians: Thank you for your interest in The Bridge. We are honored to work with young people and families here in Round Lake. Please come by and visit us or call us to make an appointment. Our WiFi Café is open on selected weekday afternoons, with outdoor recreational sports offered from the spring through the fall. The days & hours we are open are posted on the home page of our website (see also our "Calendar" webpage). We make information about The Bridge available online, through social media and by handing out flyers, and we encourage students to give this information to their parents/guardians, and we seek to establish contact and build relationships with you.
Cooperation & Respect: We are honored by the interest and willingness students have in coming to The Bridge. In order to effectively meet and maintain our goals, everyone (leaders, volunteers, students, parents, and so forth) who participates in Bridge related activities is required to speak and act in a manner that is conducive to the mission & vision of The Bridge and with our values. This includes treating everyone with kindness & respect (regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs & so forth), and respecting their possessions and our property. This also includes refraining from coercive proselytizing of any kind; the use of profanity or any form of speech or action that demeans, insults, bullies or intimidates another person; inappropriate physical or sexual contact or coercion; accessing inappropriate material over our WiFi or when using our computers; the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or weapons, or engaging in any harmful or illegal activity. Thank you.
Relationship-based Christian Outreach: We are a cross-cultural, co-ed, relationship-based Christian outreach to youth & young adults. We work with young people & their families who come from a diverse background (regarding ethnicity, education, income, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc.), regardless of spiritual interest and through the beneficial activities in which we find common ground. Students choose which activities to participate in, and spiritual mentoring & referrals are made available to those who are interested, without coercion and with no obligation. Students are invited to attend our Christian youth group on Wednesday nights or the worship services provided by our sponsoring church on Sundays. The Bridge is sponsored by Lake Region Bible Church, who is also the charter organization for the Round Lake Scouts (Pack 99, Troop 275, Troop 2019, Crew 1170).
Supervision Policy: All Bridge sponsored activities are supervised by at least two leaders or by one leader and one adult or youth volunteer. Mentoring, private conversations or meetings between one leader or adult volunteer and a minor may take place at a Bridge sponsored event, or in a public location, or through another arrangement agreed upon by the student and the student's parent/guardian. Rides can be provided upon request. Drivers must be approved adult leaders or adult volunteers with a valid driver's license, who are driving a vehicle which is properly registered & insured.
Leaders & Volunteers: Several people have served as leaders or volunteers for The Bridge over the years, who have a variety of skills and years of experience working with youth, including Round Lake High School graduates, Round Lake High School teachers, youth group leaders, parents, student volunteers and our sponsoring church's pastor. Leaders must be adults (18 years or older) who are in agreement with our mission & vision and with our values (listed on our "Mission & Vision" webpage above). Volunteers must be students (ages 14 to 17) or adults who are in agreement with our mission & vision and who will work in cooperation with our values.
Youth or adults may serve as volunteers if they have a different religious background or if they are unsure of their spiritual beliefs, provided they are willing to abide by our guiding principles. The Bridge offers many enriching activities which people from various religious or spiritual beliefs can work together to support (such as recreational sports, educational assistance & service projects). Since The Bridge is a church sponsored mission, which operates according to the Christian faith, all those in leadership positions must also be in agreement with our values, and all volunteers must respectfully abide by them. Any adult or youth interested in becoming a volunteer should contact one of our leaders. Our leadership team will seek out additional leaders as needed. Thank you.
Background Checks: Background checks are required for all adults, 18 years or older, who serve as a leader or as a volunteer (see the "Leaders & Volunteers" section above). Once a youth volunteer reaches the age of 18, a background check is required in order for him/her to continue as a volunteer or to become a leader. References are also required to approve new volunteers or leaders who are not already approved volunteers of Lake Region Bible Church or do not already have a long-term established relationship with us.
Cooperation & Respect: We are honored by the interest and willingness students have in coming to The Bridge. In order to effectively meet and maintain our goals, everyone (leaders, volunteers, students, parents, and so forth) who participates in Bridge related activities is required to speak and act in a manner that is conducive to the mission & vision of The Bridge and with our values. This includes treating everyone with kindness & respect (regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs & so forth), and respecting their possessions and our property. This also includes refraining from coercive proselytizing of any kind; the use of profanity or any form of speech or action that demeans, insults, bullies or intimidates another person; inappropriate physical or sexual contact or coercion; accessing inappropriate material over our WiFi or when using our computers; the use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or weapons, or engaging in any harmful or illegal activity. Thank you.
Relationship-based Christian Outreach: We are a cross-cultural, co-ed, relationship-based Christian outreach to youth & young adults. We work with young people & their families who come from a diverse background (regarding ethnicity, education, income, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc.), regardless of spiritual interest and through the beneficial activities in which we find common ground. Students choose which activities to participate in, and spiritual mentoring & referrals are made available to those who are interested, without coercion and with no obligation. Students are invited to attend our Christian youth group on Wednesday nights or the worship services provided by our sponsoring church on Sundays. The Bridge is sponsored by Lake Region Bible Church, who is also the charter organization for the Round Lake Scouts (Pack 99, Troop 275, Troop 2019, Crew 1170).
Supervision Policy: All Bridge sponsored activities are supervised by at least two leaders or by one leader and one adult or youth volunteer. Mentoring, private conversations or meetings between one leader or adult volunteer and a minor may take place at a Bridge sponsored event, or in a public location, or through another arrangement agreed upon by the student and the student's parent/guardian. Rides can be provided upon request. Drivers must be approved adult leaders or adult volunteers with a valid driver's license, who are driving a vehicle which is properly registered & insured.
Leaders & Volunteers: Several people have served as leaders or volunteers for The Bridge over the years, who have a variety of skills and years of experience working with youth, including Round Lake High School graduates, Round Lake High School teachers, youth group leaders, parents, student volunteers and our sponsoring church's pastor. Leaders must be adults (18 years or older) who are in agreement with our mission & vision and with our values (listed on our "Mission & Vision" webpage above). Volunteers must be students (ages 14 to 17) or adults who are in agreement with our mission & vision and who will work in cooperation with our values.
Youth or adults may serve as volunteers if they have a different religious background or if they are unsure of their spiritual beliefs, provided they are willing to abide by our guiding principles. The Bridge offers many enriching activities which people from various religious or spiritual beliefs can work together to support (such as recreational sports, educational assistance & service projects). Since The Bridge is a church sponsored mission, which operates according to the Christian faith, all those in leadership positions must also be in agreement with our values, and all volunteers must respectfully abide by them. Any adult or youth interested in becoming a volunteer should contact one of our leaders. Our leadership team will seek out additional leaders as needed. Thank you.
Background Checks: Background checks are required for all adults, 18 years or older, who serve as a leader or as a volunteer (see the "Leaders & Volunteers" section above). Once a youth volunteer reaches the age of 18, a background check is required in order for him/her to continue as a volunteer or to become a leader. References are also required to approve new volunteers or leaders who are not already approved volunteers of Lake Region Bible Church or do not already have a long-term established relationship with us.