[hackerspaces] Children in hackerspaces.

[Rick Voormolen]

On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 11:53:23AM +0100, Koen Martens wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 04:21:46PM -0800, Samantha Atkins wrote:
> > I remember some classes and activities in HS required a parental waiver and some kind of promise to hold blameless in various kinds of mishap.  I mean, what does a scout group taking suzie or johnny on a weekend campout in the dangerous woods do to keep themselves reasonably legally safe?   I doubt very much that there is just no way to be safe enough.
> 
> Well, in fact, my sister's been with the scouts for years as a leader (or whatever they're called in that particular power structure), and apparently the scout camps have been deprecating activities like building bridges from rope due to the legal issues with kids falling from said bridges or breakage of said bridges...

Well, I can confirm these stories, sadly enough as a leader of a group
of children they always can held you responsible for accidents,
therefore you see youth groups as scouts and by example soccer teams
limiting their riskfull activities. Anyways, this is not part of the
discussing nor my opinion.

Regarding hackerspaces and children I always think you need to
minimize risk, seeing that you get technical classes at high school
with saw machines I'm convinced that children should be able to use
them under supervision of somebody who's experienced with the
equipment. 

Children above 16 should be able to manage machines with instructions
and somebody watching out for them. Still there are people who are 30+
which are not as responsible as kids. 

Easy said, below 16 only with an adult tied to them, above 16 I always
think people should be instructed before handling riskfull equipment
or playing with high voltage electricity. How legally everything is
fixed with insurance I don't know but I think people on this list
could clarify that (altough it is different in every country).
> 
> Sad..
True :)
> 

Br,
Rick