Think First & Stay Safe Child Lures Prevention Catechetical Session

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Aubrey Fowler
5 years ago
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1 Think First & Stay Safe Child Lures Prevention Catechetical Session BREAK GRADE 6: Bribery Lure Opening Prayer: Read Matthew 26: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, Glory to you, O Lord. The Gospel of the Lord Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray: Loving and gracious God, help us always to remember to think first and stay safe. May your enduring kindness be always with us. We pray this in Jesus name Amen. In this reading, we see Judas taking a bribe to betray Jesus. The chief priests were able to lure Judas into betrayal with a bribe because he didn t trust Jesus plan. We are all made in God s image and that gives us all dignity. We want people to respect our dignity and treat us with love. Unfortunately, not all people will do that and some will try to lure us into danger with a promise of something we want. We must use our tools from God to recognize this situation, think first and stay safe. St. Paul the Apostle became a Jewish Christian after having persecuted the Jewish people. After his conversion, he would not accept anything to give up his faith. Even when he was persecuted and others did not respect his dignity, he kept his faith. For this reason, St. Paul the Apostle can be our Saint Hero and pray for us to never be persuaded with gifts into danger and to think first and stay safe. How would you feel if someone offered you a gift for no reason? Would you accept it? Would you wonder why they were offering it? Sometimes predators lure youth into danger by offering something they want. What might someone like that use as a bribe? (Money, clothes, video games, etc.) What would their purpose be in offering you these things? (get you to go with them, allow them sexual contact, keep abuse a secret.) Would you take candy from a stranger? (No.) Of course not, but what about the following situations: A man at the park offers you an ipod if you will come talk with him. An acquaintance of your parents offers to buy you a video game. NOTES:

2 Your boss offers you a raise if you will let him touch your private parts or you will touch his. A relative offers you $50 to keep abuse a secret. Would any of these lures tempt you? Why? Would this situation trigger your siren, your instincts? Would it be harder to say No to any of these people over another? Sometimes the bribe is to keep the secret from our parents. What do we know about keeping secrets from our parents? (They should not be kept. Our parents are there to keep us safe. We should tell them or another trusted adult.) Giving you a gift does not give anyone the right to disrespect your dignity or harm you. It is against the law for anyone to force you into an unsafe situation. ACTIVITY: Skit In your group, create a skit that demonstrates this lure being used. Show how you would use your tools from God to think first and stay safe. Several variations may be used. You will present this skit to the large group to make them aware of this lure. 2 P age

3 Think First & Stay Safe Child Lures Prevention Catechetical Session BREAK GRADE 7: Fame Lure Opening Prayer: Read 1 Corinthians 1: A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God Let us pray: Loving and gracious God, help us always to remember to think first and stay safe. Grant, Lord, that we recognize in others the radiance of your face. We pray this in Jesus name Amen. In this scripture, we hear how God chose to send His Son to the world in a lowly and humble position. He chose that place to show that fame and recognition was not something to be sought. In our society, the desire to be famous is strong, but people who want to harm us may use that desire to lure us into danger. We are all made in God s image and that gives us all dignity. We want people to respect our dignity and treat us with love. We must, however, be careful not to let self-esteem grow into selflove. Saint Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish soldier and dreamed of glory in battle. As soon as his first battle began, he was wounded in the leg with a cannon ball and spent a very long time recovering. he studied the lives of the saints while he healed and discovered that fame was not what God wanted. St. Ignatius of Loyola can be our Saint Hero and pray for us to think first and stay safe if someone attempts to lure us with fame into danger. What is ego? (How we feel about ourselves.) What is fame? (being wellknown.) How do you feel about being famous? Sometimes predators lure youth into danger by offering them a chance at being famous. Let s imagine this situation: A man in a suit walks up to you and your friends at the mall. He says: Hi! I m with the Manhattan Modeling Agency, and you have just the type of person we are looking for to start a new product ad campaign. If you are interested, I can take you to the agency right now and we ll write up a contract, (He waves a contract in front of you.) and maybe do some test shots. Would you be tempted by this lure? Does it have anything to do with Ego? NOTES:

4 (Yes. Even adults have been lured this way!) How do you think a REAL talent scout would approach you? (Business card, ask to call your parents, ask to meet parents no deal can be made with minors without them.) Why do you think parents must be present at all auditions and interviews? (Make sure offer is real; protect your best interests, sign legal papers.) Let s look at another situation: A family friend and always take pictures of you. Your parents are happy to have lots of pictures of you. One day, when we are alone, I say, Let s do something different today. Let s take some pictures with your clothes off. (Students may act uneasy or laugh.) Where do you think these uneasy feelings come from? (Your gut; your instincts.) What did we say earlier about that tool from God? (Learn to identify it, trust it, act on it.) What should you do if someone wants to take pictures or video of you without clothes? (Refuse to let them; get to safety; tell a trusted adult and the police.) 4 Page Why should you tell the police about it? (It is against the law for people to take nude photos of minors.) God wants us to have confidence in ourselves and in His love for us with humility. He does not want us to be vain or seek out fame as it allows people who may harm us the opportunity to disrespect our dignity. Fame can be a good thing if it can be used for good works, but he wants us to use the tools he gave us out of love to be able to recognize when an offer of fame may lure us into danger. ACTIVITY: Skit In your group, create a skit that demonstrates this lure being used. Show how you would use your tools from God to think first and stay safe. Several variations may be used. You will present this skit to the large group to make them aware of this lure.

5 Think First & Stay Safe Child Lures Prevention Catechetical Session BREAK GRADE 8: Assistance Lure Opening Prayer: Read Luke 10: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke, Glory to you, O Lord. The Gospel of the Lord Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray: Loving and gracious God, help us always to remember to think first and stay safe. Lord, help us to know who truly needs our help this day. We pray this in Jesus name Amen. In this scripture, Jesus tells about the Samaritan man who helps the man who had been attacked by robbers. The man was clearly in need and the Samaritan responded, but sometimes people who do not respect our dignity will say they need assistance to lure us into dangerous situations. We are all made in God s image and that gives us all dignity. Jesus tells us to love each other and reach out to help one another. Unfortunately, not all people who say they need or can give help really want to harm us. We must use our tools from God to think first and stay safe and learn to recognize when someone really needs help or when we could be in danger helping them. St. Vincent du Paul was a priest in the 17th century who was known for his many works of charity, helping all the poor and needy, no matter whom they were. For this reason, St. Vincent du Paul can be our Saint Hero and pray for us to be able to recognize people in true need and have the courage to act and to always think first and stay safe. We learn during our Confirmation preparation that we should always be looking for opportunities to serve others, especially by helping those in need. That s what Jesus meant by love your neighbor. As you saw in the video, though, sometimes predators lure youth into danger by asking them for help; appearing in need. It can be difficult to know the difference between real need and a lure. Keeping your safety in mind, what could you say in an unsure situation? (Ask another adult for help; I am not allowed near anyone s car without permission from my parents; Ignore their plea and walk quickly away from them. You don t owe them an explanation.) NOTES:

6 Consider this scenario: (Act out with the student next to you,) I am driving a car and I pull up and ask you for directions to Shop Rite, Can you tell me how to get to the Shop Rite? (Wait for response.) What was that? I didn t hear you well. (Move closer, leaning in.) As the student gets closer, grab their arm and pull them toward you. Explain that if this was real, they would be abducted. Have the other students in the group close their eyes quickly and give a description of the person that took their friend. (Male/female? Tall/short? Weight? Hair color? Clothing? Car?) If this were real, why would it be helpful to have a good description of the person and/or car? (Help police catch them quickly.) If someone asks for directions in a car, how far away from them should you be. (At least three giant steps.) Where should you be prepared to run if necessary? (In the opposite direction the car is facing.) Suppose someone was offering to help YOU with something. What might they offer you? (A ride somewhere, carry heavy things, find something lost.) How might you respond to an offer like that? ( No, thank you. ; My mom /dad will help me then leave quickly; Ignore them and leave quickly.) There are times when we may actually need help from a stranger, say if you got lost. What type of person would it be best to approach for help? (A woman, preferably with children; a person at a business, preferably working behind a counter; a uniformed police officer with a marked car.) God wants us to serve one another, especially those in need. He gave us tools, our brain and our instinct, to help us recognize those truly in need from those that want to lure us into danger. If we use our brain to remember these strategies and trust our instincts if something feels wrong, it will help protect us from those that would harm us as we are doing the work of disciples for Jesus. ACTIVITY: Skit In your group, create a skit that demonstrates this lure being used. Show how you would use your tools from God to think first and stay safe. Several variations may be used. You will present this skit to the large group to make them aware of this lure. 6 P age

Devotion NT205 CHILDREN S DEVOTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF: LESSON TITLE: Gabriel Visits Mary. THEME: God is worthy of our trust. SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:26-38

Devotion NT205 CHILDREN S DEVOTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF: LESSON TITLE: Gabriel Visits Mary THEME: God is worthy of our trust. SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:26-38 Dear Parents Welcome to Bible Time for Kids! Bible Time