Think Smart, Stay Safe Program Positively Impacts Central Elementary School Students

The program encourages smart decision-making, prevents child abuse, and empowers children in their everyday lives.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – Fourth grade students at Central Elementary School participated in the Think Smart, Stay Safe program this winter.

The workshop style program is led by three retired teachers and is supported by volunteers from the community, as well as student volunteers from Lawrenceburg High School. Think Smart, Stay Safe is designed to instill confidence, encourage smart decision-making, prevent child abuse, and all-around empower children in their everyday lives.

Sponsored by a generous grant from the Dearborn Community Foundation, with additional backing from CASA, the program has become an integral part of arming students with the skills they need to navigate the dangers they may face while growing up in modern times.

The Think Smart, Stay Safe program takes place in one-and-a-half-hour sessions across four weeks, for a total of six hours of education. The program curriculum includes small group discussions, role-playing various scenarios to practice making safe choices, and creating banners to highlight their strengths. The activities focus on empowering students, growing their decision-making skills, and teaching them how to identify problematic behaviors, as well as when to use passive, aggressive, or assertive behaviors effectively. Students also learn how to be safer online.

Students work with program leaders to generate a list of five trusted adults they can reach out to whenever needed, fostering a network of support beyond the classroom. Together, they review different situations where this network can help, and students take home a whiteboard with their list that can be affixed to their fridges at home for easy access.

Jascia Robinson, the director of the Think Smart, Stay Safe program, shares her thoughts on the value of the program, stating, “We are empowering children to make decisions and take action. It is important that these students are able to navigate the potential dangers in life and know who the adults are that they can contact for help when they need it. We guide them to build that network of trust and support so that it is already established when they need it most.”

This empowering program aligns with the school’s “Portrait of a Graduate” vision for what qualities Lawrenceburg Community School Corporation students will possess come graduation. Students conclude Think Smart, Stay Safe with the knowledge, skills, and encouragement to confidently face the world as they head towards middle school.