As a part of our commitment to provide a positive environment to support activities that engage with members, associates, and all people interested in barbershop, the Barbershop Harmony Society has a Code of Ethics, as well as a Youth Policy, that all members and associates must affirm and agree to abide by when joining or renewing membership. These policies are in place to ensure that every person who engages with BHS at any level, and in any activity, may do so with full confidence that they are in a safe environment. Refer to the resources below for specific information.
Assessment of these policies is a continual process. In early 2017, we created a dedicated internal team to review our policies, standard best practice recommendations, and educational offerings. A thorough review of our policies was completed in 2015 and again in 2017, resulting in ongoing work to redesign our training initiatives in an effort to provide better documentation processes for those who are sponsoring youth activities and events within the organization.
Youth Policy
We encourage members, chapters, and districts to review the complete Society youth policy statement as well as the updated forms provided on our website.
As always, if a member, chapter, or district has questions about the policy statement or procedures, they should contact chapters@barbershop.org or districts@barbershop.org.
Resources Available for Youth Protection
The Barbershop Harmony Society offers to all of its chapters and districts access to our online Youth Protection training at no additional cost. This can be utilized for designated supervisors, chorus directors, chapter or district officers, or anyone who has regular contact with youth members or guests. To request access to the online training videos, please send a list of names and email addresses to customerservice@barbershop.org, to be assigned the training.
More training and resources are being developed by our internal team with guidance from other non-profit and youth program based organizations.
Ethics Reporting Procedures
If at any time, any individual (member or non-member) experiences any form of harassment, abuse, or inappropriate contact from a member or associate, they should contact the appropriate local authorities immediately. The Society takes these types of situations very seriously and the safety of individuals is our first priority. Formal investigations of any alleged illegal activity should be conducted by local law enforcement and the Society will fully cooperate with any legal authorities.
The Barbershop Harmony Society has a formal ethics complaint reporting procedure through the Society Ethics Committee. If a member or associate is alleged to have violated a Canon of the Code of Ethics or the policies of BHS, the formal ethics complaint procedures must be followed to initiate action by the Ethics Committee, who will determine if a violation has occurred and what, if any, action should be taken.
The ethics complaint form is available online or can be requested to be mailed to you by emailing ceo@barbershop.org. Please Note: Emailing ceo@barbershop.org without properly completing a form does not result in a formal complaint.
View Ethics Complaint Procedures
Download Ethics Violation Report Form
Forms and supporting documentation should be mailed to:
Barbershop Harmony Society
℅ Ethics Committee Chair (please forward without opening)
110 7th Avenue N
Nashville, TN 37203