This page lays out our rules for children at Arisia. Please make sure you're familiar with them if you're an adult with a child, a free-range child, or a teen. If you have any questions or concerns about Arisia's Youth Rules, please email @email.
For Arisia 2023 only, Fast Track will be for vaccinated children 5-12. There won't be a Turtle Track, so for Arisia 2023, 5 year old children can participant in Fast Track if accompanied by a designated person.
COVID Policies specific to Fast Track are coming soon. You can see our convention-wide COVID policies here.
Children as Fans
Arisia makes every effort to protect fans of all ages and provide a healthy environment with many opportunities for fun and learning. Children are a valued part of our community, and we welcome their appropriate participation.
- All children aged 8 and under must be accompanied by an adult, unless in Fast Track con areas as appropriate to their membership type.
- Parents of children aged 9-12 who believe their children are mature enough (and who have their own paid membership) may choose to allow their children to freely roam the convention on their own. Such children will be given a green ribbon to wear with their membership badge by the Fast Track staff. Children whose parents do not allow their child to freely roam the convention, and any child under the age of 9, will be given a red ribbon.
- Youth aged 13-19 are welcome in the Teen Lounge. It is available to them as a safe place to meet, play, or chill with other teens. They may attend any function of the convention, with exceptions for panels or events labeled as containing adult themes. These panels are limited to attendees 18 years of age or older and will have a member of The Safety Team checking IDs at the door. Although youth under 18 years of age may register as ‘adults', membership in the convention in no way supersedes any local, state, or federal laws.
For more information on activities for children at Arisia, see the 19 & Under page.
The Safety Team
Any unattended children including: children not picked up at the close of Fast Track, as well as children who do not have free-roaming ribbons found outside of Fast Track, will be brought to The Safety Team(located in Paine on the lobby level), who will follow procedure to ensure the safety of the child.
At the Fast Track front desk, when children are checked in for the first time, the parents/guardians will provide the name and contact information for any adult that is authorized to pick up their child. The primary contact and their phone number will be written on the back of the child’s badge for quick reference in emergencies. The location of Fast Track is subject to change, but currently resides at the end of a hallway on the lobby level near The Safety Team.
Discipline
If a child engages in inappropriate, disruptive, or dangerous behavior, they will be taken aside and spoken to by a Youth Services staff member with the intent of defusing the situation and reinforcing the need for respect of people and property. If the child cannot be calmed down, the parents/guardians will be notified and asked to come pick up the child. If the child engages in repeated inappropriate or disruptive behavior, or has behaved in a manner that could seriously harm others, they are subject to having their free-roaming privileges (if applicable) or their entire membership revoked.
Special Needs
If a child has special needs, we encourage an authorized adult to stay and participate with them in any activities that may prove difficult. Youth Services staff strive to be as helpful as possible, but they are not trained in the specific needs of any one child.
Volunteers & Staff
All volunteers for Youth Services must receive approval by the area’s senior level staff as well as Staff Services. Fast Track volunteers include parents, teachers, librarians, teens, and others with a passion for teaching our younger fen! Volunteers in Teen Lounge are all teenagers themselves, with contact info for an adult staff member should it become necessary. If you would like to volunteer to work in any of these areas, please contact @email.
Incident Reporting
Should any child or parent have concerns, they may be brought to any staff member available, as denoted by a white STAFF ribbon. Should our response to the concern not meet your expectations, they can be escalated as follows:
- Respective Area Heads for Turtle Track, Fast Track, or Teen Lounge
- Division Head(s) for Youth Services
- Asst. Con Chair governing Youth Services
- Con Chair
Anyone is also welcome to submit an official incident report to the convention. The incident report policy and instructions can be found here.
