What Would You Do? Personal Safety

Before you begin

• Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
• Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
• Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 

Planning and setting up the activity 

• Prepare a range of realistic scenarios linked to personal safety for Explorer Scouts. 
• Include situations such as travelling home alone, online scams, location sharing, peer pressure, unsafe lifts, fake social media accounts or helping a friend who feels unsafe. 
• Print or write each scenario onto cards. 
• Set up stations around the meeting space or prepare enough space for small group discussions. 

Running the activity

1. Explain that the activity explores personal safety in everyday scenarios that young people today face.  
2. Split everyone into small groups.  
3. Give each group a scenario card and ask them to discuss:

• • What are the possible risks?  
  • What warning signs could you notice?  
  • What are safer choices or actions?  
  • How could you help a friend in this situation?  

4. After a few minutes, ask groups to share their ideas before moving to a new scenario.  
5. Encourage discussion about balancing independence, confidence and staying safe.  
6. Remind everyone that asking for help and looking after others are important parts of personal safety.  
7. Finish with a whole group-reflection about practical ways to stay safe in daily life, online and socially.