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Children learn how to stay safe from 'stranger danger'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Divine Cox
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  On April 16, Scott Air Force Base responded to a possible child abduction attempt in base housing.

A man in a van approached two 8-year-old girls, asking them if they wanted to see a box of money inside his van. The girls responded by saying they did not know him, left the scene and immediately notified their parents.

To increase safety, the Cyberspace Support Squadron Booster Club teamed up with 3T Martial Arts to host a one-day Stranger Danger class with two sessions.

"It is very important for kids to know what to do if a stranger approaches them," said Tammy Dewitt, manager of 3T Martial Arts.

The sessions covered steps to take when approached, techniques on how to get away, and followed-up with scenarios to test what the children have learned.

"It could have been my son or someone I know. There are so many of these incidents, a steady re-occurrence," she said.

That's why her family and members of Team Scott packed the gym to learn how kids should react to strangers.

"I liked the class a lot," said Trystan Jones, son of Master Sgt. Matthew Jones from the Cyberspace Support Squadron. "I liked the part when we had to get away if they got a hold of me."

Dozens of families took part in the free class at James Gym. The topic of Stranger Danger is something that parents say they already talk about with their kids.

But the class wasn't only important for the kids. Parents walked out of the class knowing safety methods they hadn't tried before.

"Having a secret code with your kid was something I never thought about," said Master Sgt. Matthew Jones. "We will definitely be coming up with one after the class."

The main message of the class was "any stranger is not a safe situation and to get away as fast as possible."

Dewitt said, "We want to make sure kids know what to do when a stranger approaches, and that's what this class teaches."

Four steps to safety
1. No (yell it)
2. Go (go to a trusted adult)
3. Yell (stranger, stranger)
4. Tell (a stranger tried to take me)