Safe or Unsafe

A teacher/instructor comments about how you are dressed that day while looking at you in a way that makes you uncomfortable.

• Safe

• Unsafe

Answer explanation

This situation is unsafe. What is unsafe here?

 An adult talking about things that make you feel uncomfortable.

 Differences in age and status influence your response.

 What key offender strategies are involved in this scenario?

What would need to change to make this situation safe?

You are the first one in your family to get home after school. Your adult

neighbor, whom you have known since kindergarten, often waves at you and

calls on the phone to check on you. One day you hear a funny noise in the house

when you are alone. You call your neighbor to ask for help. The neighbor says

he and his wife will be over and tells you to call your parents and let them know

what is going on.

• Safe

• Unsafe

Answer explanation

This situation is safe. Why is it safe?

 It is important to identify trusted adults who are respectful of your Circle of

Grace and their own.

Two adults are coming over and parents are aware of the situation.

 The adult told the young person to notify parents. He did not try to keep it a

secret.

A new friend asks you to come over to his house and hang out. You go over to

the friend’s house and the two of you start to surf the internet and social

networking sites (SNS). He makes the comment that it would be so cool to post

some crazy photos on the SNS. He asks you to take your shirt off so he can take

a photo with his phone. You decide to keep your school sweatshirt on and

instead just make funny faces for the photo.

• Safe

• Unsafe

Answer explanation

This situation is confusing but unsafe. Why is it not safe?

 Removing clothing is not an appropriate request or action.

 The young person still revealed personal information via his/her school

sweatshirt.

 The young person was pressured into doing something that was

uncomfortable/ unsafe instead of saying, “No,” and leaving.

 Postings on SNS can be widely distributed to millions of unknown persons.

This can be viewed and manipulated without a young person’s knowledge or

permission. This would include images sent via cell phones. The images on

the cell phone can also be distributed to a number of people. Be aware!

ʺSextingʺ Sexually explicit images or text messages sent by way of a phone.

There may be legal consequences if one or both persons involved are minors.

What would need to change to make this situation safe?

One of your coaches thinks you can make the select team if you work a little

harder on some skills. The coach offers to stay late after everyone has gone home

and work one on one with you to help improve skills. He says it is important to

not talk about this with others because they may be jealous.

• Safe

• Unsafe

Answer explanation

This situation is unsafe. What is unsafe here?

 An adult arranges to be with a young person alone.

 What key offender strategies are involved in this scenario?

What would need to change to make this situation safe?

A person you know from the internet wants to meet you at the mall this

weekend. You have been IM (instant messaging) and texting for six months. Is

this situation safe or unsafe?

• Safe

• Unsafe

Answer explanation

This situation is unsafe. What is unsafe here?

 You have never met the person face‐to‐face.

 You do not really know this person.

 You have no way to verify whatever this person has said.

 You have no way of knowing who else has seen the information that you

have shared. They may have cut and pasted the information into a blog or

website or shared it with a group of friends.

 What key offender strategies are involved in this scenario?

What would need to change to make this situation safe?

You stay overnight at a friend’s house. After his/her parent’s go to bed, your

friend starts to sneak out to go to a party. Your friend expects you to go. You

don’t want to go. You tell your friend that you feel sick and want to call your

parents to come get you.

• Safe

• Unsafe

Answer explanation

This situation is unsafe but the young person’s response is safe. Why?

 The young person has listened to his/her feelings (instincts) that tell him/her

not to go to the party.

 The young person states his/her need to call parents.

What would need to change to make this situation safe?