The Childrens Workshops

Each workshop lasts approximately 30 minutes and the average group size is 8 (when there are large numbers of children the class is split into small groups and each workshop is repeated several times).

• There is an interval of one week between each of the three workshops to give the parents and carers time to reinforce the strategies with the children.
• The two main themes that run through all the workshops are assertiveness and telling. In every workshop we practice assertive responses.
• In every workshop we help the children identify who they can ‘tell’ if they are frightened, worried, confused or need help.
• Various methods are used to introduce the strategies but the main ones are talking with the children, puppet plays, listening to the children and asking them to solve problems for the puppets ensuring that they stay safe, strong and free.
• The main puppet characters are Callum and Shona. They can be viewed in our Gallery.

Workshop 1 – Bullying

This workshop introduces the concept of being safe, strong and free to the children and also covers staying safe if someone tries to bully you. Two short plays with puppets are performed. The first showing Callum ‘giving in’ to the girl bullying him, which makes him feel unhappy and sad, and the second showing Callum staying safe, strong and free.
The main messages from this workshop are:

• Say NO if someone bullies you. (Assertiveness)
• Get a friend to help you say NO if you are bullied and you don’t feel strong enough by yourself. (Moral support)
• Get an adult to help if the person bullying you still won’t leave you alone. (Which adults can help?)
• Bullying is not an appropriate way to behave. (We also discuss the merits of sharing, waiting your turn, being polite and not threatening or hurting other people).

Workshop 2 – Strangers

This workshop looks at how to stay safe if a child is not with an adult and a stranger tries to talk to them. We ask the children what they already know about strangers and try to ensure that they understand that a stranger is someone they don’t know – whether it is a man, woman or older child. A puppet play is performed which demonstrates the main messages from this workshop and the children give Callum and Shona advice to help them stay safe when they meet a stranger.
The main messages from this workshop are:

• Don’t talk to someone you don’t know when you are not with an adult.
• Keep walking, ignore strangers, it is okay to do that, you are not being rude.
• Stand well back from strangers.
• Yell and run away if they come too close to you.
• If they grab you or pick you up; you can yell, wriggle, kick, punch etc.
• You can do anything to get away.
• Always tell an adult, that you know, what happened even if you were clever enough to stay safe.
• The children are also taught a very loud yell…..!!
  

Workshop 3 – Known Adults

This workshop is about how to stay safe if someone you know asks you to keep a kiss, cuddle or touch secret. Three plays are performed which show:

The children also learn a song. Have a go!!!

The Body Song (To the tune of ‘London Bridge’)

Head and shoulders knees and toes,
Knees and toes, knees and toes
Head and shoulders knees and toes
It’s my own body

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Mouth and nose, mouth and nose
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose
It’s my own body

Touch or point to each part of your body mentioned in the song as you sing and give yourself a hug when you say ‘It’s my own body’.

The main messages from this workshop are:

Parents' Information pack:

Before the children’s programme of workshops begins information is distributed to the parents on:

• Bullying and advice on how to help children develop assertiveness skills to help them deal with bullying situations and empathy to help prevent bullying behaviour.
• The ‘stranger danger’ and how to help children cope if they are on their own and approached by a stranger.
• Child sexual abuse and its prevention. Advice on how to keep the ‘telling barriers’ down so that a child will ask a trusted adult for help. Information is given on how to react if a child says something which causes concern.

A Parents’ meeting:

This is held prior to the children's workshops and is an important part of the project. The success of the programme depends on the important adults in the child’s life reinforcing the messages and doing follow-up work afterwards, both at home and in the nursery/playgroup.