Most people are familiar with the antics of a child unwittingly left alone in the movie Home Alone. It is a comedy and there are lots of laughs, but for some kids and their parents in real life, it isn’t funny being left alone, it is scary.
Knowing this, the Sooke Family Resource Society (SFRS) is sponsoring a Safe Kids workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 18.
The workshop is being led by a husband and wife team from Victoria. Darren and Beth Laur team up to teach kids and their parents what to be aware of to protect themselves.
“The reason is basically to educate and empower a child to feel comfortable on their own and also provide the same thing for parents,” said Paulina Pratico, a family support worker at SFRS.
She said parents also need to feel comfortable when it is necessary to leave children alone.
“We generally work with early years,but this is for older kids, six and up, who are getting a little more independent. When are they old enough to be left alone, or to babysit?,” said Pratico.
The workshop is being run by the Laurs through Personal Protection Systems Inc. Darren Laur has 26 years of law enforcement experience and is a staff sergeant with the Victoria Police. Darren Laur an internationally recognized safety expert, published award winning author and highly sought after speaker who specializes in the area of personal safety and self protection both in the real world and the cyber world.
The workshop will cover such topics as: A child’s six special powers of self protection; street and home alone rules; I’m lost/in trouble rules; safe place when help is needed; it’s my body rules, including good touching vs, bad touching; and realistic physical and verbal strategies.
The society has put on other workshops previously but they were geared towards working with staff on such issues as personal protection, Internet safety programs for youth.
Safe Kids is free but participants are asked to register as there is limited space. The workshop will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Sooke Family Resource Society (CASA) at 105-2145 Townsend Road in Sooke. For more information call 250-642-5152.