Safety Award
For Girl Scouts 11-17

	WHAT GIRLS CAN DO ABOUT SAFETY Assist the leader in planning for safety. Listen to and follow instructions and suggestions. Learn and practice safety skills. Learn to "Think Safety" at all times and to "Be Prepared." Identify and evaluate situations where a safety risk is involved. Know how, when, and where to get help when needed.

Safety is a vital part of being a Girl Scout, and girls learning to think about safety in other areas of their life is key.

Girl Scouts ages 11-17 are partners in making sure they and their group follow practices outlined in Safety-Wise. Girls learn about safety as they work toward this award. After completing the activities, they can wear the award on their uniform vest or sash.

This award, which also appears in Safety-Wise, has been adapted for the Web. The links after each activity go to pages helpful in completing it. Girls should exercise caution when leaving this site. After visiting other sites, they should discuss what they've learned and how the sites relate to the activity.

Complete three activities.

1. Make a list of your safety responsibilities when you perform your duties as a Program Aide, Leader-in-Training, Counselor-in-Training, or babysitter. Create a card to carry with you as a reminder of these responsibilities. Describe how you carried out your responsibilities.

• Whom do I report to?
• When do I need to be at the meeting or other place?
• How should I be dressed?
• What are the activities?
• What are the activity checkpoints?
• What are my responsibilities?
• Is an adult there at all times?
• Where is the first-aid kit? Is other safety equipment needed?
• Do we need a missing persons plan? An emergency plan?
• Is there a telephone? A medical facility nearby?
• What is the needed Safety-Wise adult-to-girl ratio for the activity?

2. Create a home safety plan with your family members. Look for all types of hazards—electrical, mechanical, chemical, physical—and determine how to make your home as safe as possible. For example, test smoke alarms and change their batteries regularly. Practice a family evacuation plan.

• Citizen Links from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
  www.dhs.gov/xcitizens/

3. Pick a safety topic of interest to your group, such as personal safety, domestic violence, sexual abuse, date rape, teen use of drugs and alcohol, safety in a crowd, teen driving, and passenger safety. Hold a conference or forum on the safety issues involved. Create a personal responsibility statement for yourself and your behavior.

• TeensHealth, KidsHealth. A resource for everything from eating disorders to dealing with abusive relationships.

http://kidshealth.org/teen


• National Crime Prevention Council.
  http://ncpc.org

4. Pick a sport or outdoor activity you enjoy. Analyze the risks involved in participating in it. Find out how rules, training, and safety equipment are designed to protect players. Discuss with your group why people participate in activities that contain an element of risk. Can you understand why some people seek risky activities and others fear them?

• National Safe Kids Campaign.

www.safekids.org


• Sports and Exercise Safety, TeensHealth.
  http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/exercise/sport_safety.html

5. Plan and conduct a lesson for younger children on how to be safe around pools and bodies of water. Demonstrate the use of personal flotation devices, reaching assists, and ways to call for help in an emergency.

• Health & Safety Tips: Water Safety Tips, American Red Cross.

www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/healthtips/safetywater.html


• Water Safety, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  www.sas.usace.army.mil/wtrsafty.htm

6. Take a course in babysitting or first aid and CPR from the American Red Cross, the National Safety Council, or a similar organization.

• A Guide to the Business of Babysitting, University of Illinois Extension.

www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/babysitting


• Health and Safety Services Courses, American Red Cross. Find courses in first aid and CPR.
  www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses

7. Conduct a lesson on Internet safety for a group of younger Girl Scouts. Include the Internet Safety Pledge, and talk about why each part of the pledge is important for personal safety.

• Computers Can Be a Real Pain, KidsHealth. Explore health and safety issues for kids around computers.

www.kidshealth.org/kid/watch/house/k_ergonomics.html


• Safe Surfing With Your Family, Yahooligans!
  http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/docs/safety

Adapted from Safety-Wise, © 2000 by Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Girl Scout badges, patches, awards, and other insignia that are earned for the accomplishment of skill-building activities or any set requirements should be presented, worn, or displayed only after Girl Scouts have completed the requirements outlined in the appropriate program materials.

All insignia are owned by Girl Scouts of the United States of America and are protected by law for use by GSUSA. None of the insignia may be copied, duplicated, or reproduced without prior express written authorization from Girl Scouts of the USA. All rights reserved.