6. Personal Protection

View Personal Safety Awareness videos

6b.
With your parent or guardian's permission, view the Personal Safety Awareness videos. (See the pamphlet inserted inside the front cover.)

With your parent or guardian’s permission, view the official Scouting America Personal Safety Awareness Videos. These age-appropriate instructional videos give Scouts concrete tools to identify unsafe situations, protect themselves and others, and take immediate action.

The Three R’s of Personal Safety

The videos focus on three core life-saving actions:

RECOGNIZE

Learn to identify warning signs in people and situations:

  • Boundary Violations: Anyone who touches you inappropriately, asks you to take off clothing, makes unwanted physical contact, or asks to take photos of you in private.
  • Unsafe Secrecy: Anyone who tells you “Don’t tell your parents,” offers excessive gifts, or tries to isolate you from your friends or family.
  • Digital Red Flags: Strangers online asking for your real name, phone number, home address, school, or passwords, or asking you to move to a private messaging app or webcam chat.
  • Bullying and Harassment: Verbal abuse, physical intimidation, hazing, or online cyberbullying targeting you or a peer.

RESIST

Take immediate, decisive steps to refuse and escape:

  • Say “NO” loudly, clearly, and firmly.
  • Do not worry about being polite or hurting someone’s feelings if they cross boundaries.
  • Physically walk or run away to a public, populated area or find a trusted friend or leader.
  • Online: Use privacy tools to immediately Stop, Block, and Log Off. Do not respond to harassing or predatory messages.

REPORT

Tell a trusted adult right away:

  • Go immediately to a parent, guardian, teacher, police officer, or Scout leader.
  • Keep telling trusted adults until someone takes action to help you.
  • Remember: If someone violates your boundaries or mistreats you, it is NEVER your fault.

How to Access and Complete

  1. Ask your parent or guardian to sit down with you at a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
  2. Navigate to the official video portal at scouting.org/training/youth-protection/scouts-bsa/.
  3. Watch the series of short videos together.
  4. Discuss the questions that follow each module with your parent or guardian.
  5. Have your parent or guardian sign off in your handbook.