5. Nonviolent communication. In this session we talked about feelings and what feelings look like. We looked at how thoughts, feelings and behaviour are all linked together. If you have negative thoughts and feelings, then that could result in negative behaviour. Looking after negative feelings and turning them into positive ones can make you feel happier and more positive.
6. ‘Sex, phones and the internet’. We learnt about sending inappropriate images and how that can cause issues. We learnt about the consequences of having an explicit picture of a child under the age of 18. This is illegal and you should be aware that if the person you send them to saves them somewhere they could be seen by anyone like teachers or family. We watched a video about sexting and boys and girls being pressured into sending images. There is a ChildLine app that can help if you are being asked to send pictures, it’s called “Zipit” and gives you alternative pictures to send.
7. Caught in Traffic. We watched a video about a girl who was trafficked (sexually exploited) by a boy a bit older than her. It showed the four stages of exploitation to help us recognise the warning signs of this before it happens.
•The targeting stage- when an abusive person chooses you to abuse.
•The friendship forming stage- when the abuser gets you to believe you are their friend and builds up your trust in them.
•The perceived loving relationship stage- this is when the abuser makes you feel special and loved and begin to isolate you from friends and family.
•The abusive relationship stage- this is when the abuser is really horrible all the time and it is clear it is not a loving relationship but the victim feels trapped. The abuser will then use you for whatever they want often making you do things you don’t want to.
8. Resilience. We talked about all the good and bad things that happen in our lives and how they can affect us. We thought about how if something bad happens we normally try to think about something happy to cheer us up, and about coping strategies like doing something you enjoy, talking to friends or listening to your favourite music.