10 Things to Teach Children

1. Settle arguments with words, not fists or weapons. Don’t stand around and form an audience when others are arguing.  
2. Learn safe routes for walking in the neighborhood, and know good places to seek help. Know how to contact your parents in the event of an emergency.
3. Learn to work out your problems without fighting. If you’re feeling angry toward someone, talk it out, walk away, stick with friends, or speak with a trusted adult. Try to think of some new ways to settle your problems without violence.
4. If you find a gun—stop, don’t touch the gun, get away, and tell a grown-up you trust.
5. Report any crimes or suspicious activities to the police, school authorities, and parents.
6. Never go anywhere with (or open the door to) someone you or your parents don’t know and trust.  If someone touches you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, say no, get away, and tell a trusted adult.
7. Don’t use alcohol or other drugs, and stay away from people and places associated with them.
8. Stick with friends who are also against violence and drugs, and stay away from known trouble spots.
9. Get involved to make school safer and better—conduct a poster contest against violence, hold anti-drug rallies, counsel peers, settle disputes peacefully. If there is no program, help start one!
10. Help younger children learn to avoid being crime victims. Set a good example, and volunteer to help with community efforts to stop crime.

This information is provided in conjunction with Project Safe Neighborhoods, Office of Justice Programs,
810 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20531
 

 Visitors to this site are now more informed about Project SAFE Salisbury.