Strangers

Your neighborhood is a fun place to walk your dog or play with friends. Here are some tips to help you stay safe in your neighborhood.  Always walk or bike with a friend, never alone. Know the way you’re going before you start. Stay away from empty buildings and unsafe places. Never take anything from a stranger. If a stranger asks you a question, don’t talk. Run away. Don’t go anywhere with a stranger.  Tell an adult you trust if you see someone you think doesn't belong hanging around public rest rooms, playgrounds, or school yards.  Follow these tips and you are on your way to staying safe!

Bullies

If a bully is bugging you, walk away, tell a grown-up, hang with friends, or try to talk it out. Don't be a bully yourself. Treat others with kindness.  Stick up for kids who are being bullied. Never fight or argue with a bully.

Staying it Safe

Where there’s school, there’s bound to be school buses. By following these few simple rules, you can stay safe while riding the bus:

Arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before your bus is scheduled to pick you up.
Always stand 4 giant steps back from the curb. When lining up, make your line away from the street.
Never walk behind the bus.
If you have to cross the street, take at least six giant steps forward on the sidewalk before turning to cross the street. That way, you and the bus driver can see each other.
When you’re getting on and off the bus, make sure nothing gets left behind. Also, straps from your bag can easily get caught in the door or railings, so make sure they are secured.
If you do drop something near the bus, tell the driver before you pick it up. You want to make sure that the bus driver knows where you are at all times.

Don't take the bus to school? We've got tips for you too:

Work out a safe route to school with your parents. Choose the quickest way with the fewest street crossings and use intersections with crossing guards. Stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields, and other places where there aren't many people around.
Whenever possible walk to and from school with a friend, neighbor, brother, or sister. Don't go by yourself.
If you bike or skate to school, wear a helmet. And don't forget to lock up your bike with a sturdy lock wherever you leave it.

Talking in a Group

·         Be sure you know your home phone number (including area code) and address, the numbers of your parents at work and of another trusted adult. how to use 911 for emergencies.

·         Never talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your parents don't know well and trust.

·         If you're home alone after school, check in with a parent or neighbor as soon as you walk in the door.

·         If you see anyone doing something that makes you uneasy or you think isn't right — a stranger hanging around the school playground, a bigger kid bullying younger children, vandalism or graffiti, for example — tell your parents, a teacher, or another trusted adult.

Getting Along With Others

Stop, look, and listen—Check yourselves out. Are either of you too upset to deal with the conflict right now? First, calm down by counting to 10, taking some deep breaths, or doing whatever works best for you.

What's the problem?—Investigate the facts. What exactly is the problem? Take turns describing the problem to each other. Each of you may be talking about a different problem.

Rack your brains—Think of as many ways as you can to solve your problem. Remember, there is always more than one solution to any conflict. Write them down. Don't worry about whether all your ideas are good.

Use your judgment—Now is the time to judge which solution is best. Look at each one and think about the consequences. What might happen if you were to chose a certain idea? Is that particular choice one that will get you what you need? Will you both be happy with this way of handling things?

Make a plan—Figure out how to carry out your solution to the problem. What do each of you need to do?

Forward ho!—Move forward and set your plan into motion. Congratulate yourselves. Decide that you will talk sometime soon about how well your plan worked

Two myths about assault:

1. It can't happen to me.
2. There's nothing I can do about it.

Strategies for being safe:

1. Trust your intuition.
2. Stand up tall and use good posture.
3. Be alert and aware of your surroundings.
4. Avoid deserted or dangerous places.
5. Travel in a group or with a friend.
6. Plan ahead: know the route, have identification & money for a phone call

Three levels of defense:

1. Speak loudly and be assertive to set a boundary.
2. Move away a safe distance or to a safe place.
3. Use physical techniques if you have to, to save yourself.

Practice:

1. Yelling and loud speaking
2. Visualize using your defense moves, and practice them weekly.
3. Ask yourself, am I willing to hurt someone else in order to survive?
4. If I get hurt, am I willing to keep fighting to survive and get away?

The "Rules":

1. Do not give personal information to strangers or casual acquaintances.
2. You do not have to be polite, especially to those whom you do not know.
3. Remember that perpetrators are liars, they will tell you anything to get what they want.
4. If he or she wants your money, give it up; throw it away from your body.

Your commitment:

1. I will not be taken to a second crime scene.
2. I will make noise and fight to avoid being put into a stranger's vehicle

Your weapons:

1. Hands
2. Fingers
3. Nails
4. Teeth
5. Head
6. Elbows
7. Knees
8. Feet

Targets to aim for:

1. Eyes and throat
2. Nose or septum
3. Solar plexus
4. Groin
5. Shin or knees
6. Instep or foot
7. Inner or outer thigh

Basic Karate Techniques to remember/practice:

1. Defensive stance
2. Pivot
3. Point of reference
4. Palmheel strike
5. Web hand strike
6. Eye strike (claw)
7. Lateral elbow strike
8. Rising elbow strike
9. Rear elbow strike
10. Hines break and one-handed wrist grab release
11. Long cane defense into the body or face