8th Brampton Scout Group - Since 1981
Day 1: Personal Safety
Scouts
- Just say no to drugs and alcohol. The younger somebody is when he or she experiments with drugs or alcohol, the more likely that person is to have long-term struggles with substance abuse.
- Talk to your parents if you’re having trouble sleeping. It’s common for sleep patterns to change for teenagers, but there are things that can be done to still get a good night’s rest.
- Be true to yourself. Know what your own interests and passions are, and do what makes you happy. Don’t let somebody else tell you how to be you!
Scouters’ tip: Structure your schedule to get seven to eight hours of sleep per day. If you’ve been sleep deprived, the hours of sleep you’ve missed can and should be made up, even days later.
Resources and Program Ideas:
- Learn about youth mental health. You never know if somebody in your Troop may be wrestling with some tough questions.
Day 2: Home and Family Safety
- Keep pot handles turned in while cooking.
- Avoid cross-contamination. Prepare raw meat, poultry and seafood on separate surfaces from ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables.
- Check the expiry date on packages before eating what’s inside!
Scouters’ tip: Keep candles and matches on hand in an accessible place for emergency outages.
Resources and Program Ideas:
Day 3: Street and Community Safety
- Don’t wear headphones while walking near traffic or cycling.
- Don’t ride your bike alongside train tracks. Train cars can be much wider than the tracks.
- Wear the right safety gear for skateboarding and rollerblading, including a helmet and wrist guards.
Scouters’ tip: Teach your Scouts not to approach untended animals that they’re unfamiliar with.
Resources and Program Ideas:
Day 4: Camps and Outings Safety
- Be prepared with a small emergency kit, including first aid supplies, matches, tinder, a signal mirror and an emergency blanket.
- Be prepared with a knife, and remember how you were taught to safely use it.
- Don’t eat any leaves or berries you’re not sure about.
Scouters’ tip: Ensure that everybody on a hike has a whistle. Bring extras for people who forget to bring their own.
Resources and Program Ideas:
- Review how to react safely when encountering bears in the wild.
- Practice map and compass skills to avoid getting lost.
Day 5: Bullying and Verbal Abuse
- Ignore a bully. Bullies are encouraged by big reactions.
- Stand up for yourself. If you do as bullies tell you to do, they will keep bullying.
- Run away if you have to.
Scouters’ tip: Be aware of tensions among youth. Be a voice of reason when teams (such as Patrols) are being made up.
Resources and Program Ideas:
Day 6: Internet and Mobile Phone Safety
- Use hard-to-guess passwords. Include numbers and capital letters.
- Don’t have conversations online with adults.
- Don’t post pictures online that you wouldn’t want just anybody to see—because just about anybody can!
Scouters’ tip: Always CC another adult in any messages sent to youth via email.
Resources and Program Ideas:
- A short, simple video with some good advice.
Safe Web Surfing: Top Tips for Kids and Teens Online
Day 7: Halloween Safety
- Visit only lit houses.
- Walk, don’t run.
- Avoid jaywalking.
Scouters’ tip: Consider using glow sticks to light your jack-o-lantern instead of candles. Nothing says spooky like a glowing green jack-o-lantern.
Resources and Program Ideas:
- Plan a trick-or-treating route in advance at a meeting. Use neighbourhood maps to plan a safe, manageable route that Scouts can share with their parents before going out. Best of all, a well-planned route should lead to a bigger haul.
