Being Safe is an excellent series on child abuse protection. It's also designed in such a way as to absolutely roto-rooter your pocketbook. My mini-calculator (K-Mart, $3.95) says that in order for an elementary school to take full advantage of this series, they're looking at a cool $1505. Which is unfortunate, since the programs are expertly arranged for the grade levels mentioned for each title. Using a dramatic storyline which begins in the home of Lucy and Susie, the program uses incremental learning to introduce concepts appropriate to different age levels. On the walk to school, Lucy and Susie (and their friends Richard and Bobby) are accosted by a strange couple in a van. When they arrive at school, the teacher goes over the incident with the class--discussing the means the kids took to extricate themselves from the situation, and why their actions were correct. In the program aimed at grades 1-3, the material introduced in the first tape is reviewed and expanded on, as vignettes address the topics of neglect and emotional abuse and touches on the subject of sexual abuse without using sexual terminology. In the final program, geared toward grades 4-6, the same format is used with more in-depth treatment of both sexual abuse and neglect. Being Safe--Educators features the writer/filmmaker Sylvan Markman showing segments from the programs and discussing ways in which educators can use the programs to their best advantage. For elementary schools with flush budgets, this is highly recommended. Other libraries need not consider. Say No to Strangers addresses some of the same issues as the Being Safe series, but carries a much lower price tag. It also has a concomitant drop in quality. Carlo Imperato, of television's Fame, is the celebrity host for this poor "how-to" on child abuse prevention. Imperato begins by talking with some kids in the playground, who then relate their personal horror stories. In the first dramatic scene, "Jackie" recalls how he was playing soccer with his brother when the ball rolled into the nearby bushes. When he goes to retrieve the ball, Jackie is greeted by a stranger. When the stranger offers to take Jackie for a ride for ice cream, Jackie says "no." As the stranger continues to talk to him and use the chalkboard approaches we all know, Jackie delivers the correct answers back to him for about two minutes--essentially giving the creep a lesson in child safety. While running is not always the safe response, in this particular instance the stranger was so far away that Jackie could have turned and booked. In another scene, "Suki" gets out of the car while her father is in the store, and follows a strange dog. She walks, apparently for blocks, never gaining, nor never really losing, this slow-moving dog. We are treated to front shots, back shots, and overhead shots of Jackie and the dog. When a car pulls up and the driver offers Suki a ride, she says "no." Her father, miraculously appears, moments later. To firmly cement the program's approach in the viewer's mind, the video closes with an eerie close-up of the stranger in the bushes leering at the camera. Say No to Strangers is offensive, pointlessly scary, and bereft of realism. Not recommended. (The Being Safe series is available from: FilmFair Communications, P.O. Box 7314, No. Hollywood, CA 91603-7314.) (Say No to Strangers is available from most distributors.)
Being Safe--Educators; Being Safe--Grades 1-3; Being Safe--Grades 4-6; Being Safe--Kindergarten; Say No To Strangers
(1990) 53 m. $395 (booklet included). FilmFair Communications. Public performance rights included. Vol. 5, Issue 8
Being Safe--Educators; Being Safe--Grades 1-3; Being Safe--Grades 4-6; Being Safe--Kindergarten; Say No To Strangers
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