What can YOU do?

• Make sure that at all times you and your family are visible especially when you are outside in the dark
• Taking a stand may also mean setting an example, such as making sure you use crosswalks if younger people are watching you, or putting the helmet on while roller-blading or skateboarding on the street or sidewalk.
• Make a point of wearing appropriate safety gear at all times (helmets, seat belts, non-slip shoes on ice, etc.)
• Speak up if the person beside you needs to do something to reduce a risk of getting hurt (they may be making it more risky for you!)
• Make sure your friends and colleagues are working and plating safely
• Volunteer to help at a safety training activity or event (a bike rodeo, a child car seat installation session, etc.)
• Advocate for policies to reduce the risk of injury in your community
• The most important thing an individual can do is be a proud and public advocate for safety in his or her community--to Be Visible!

If you have thought of other ideas to Be Visible, have tried them out and made a difference, be sure to tell us!  Click here so we can find out what works, recognize you for what you have done and so others can learn too!

 Built on research that points to the power of peers in young people’s lives, SMARTRISK No Regrets trains youth leaders and their staff advisers to implement injury prevention activities and events in their schools to promote the SMARTRISK injury prevention messages: Buckle Up, Look First, Wear the Gear, Get Trained and Drive Sober. These youth-led activities and events are designed to influence the attitudes and risk-taking behaviour of the general student population in each school related to risk activities, such as driving, biking, skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and partying.   http://www.smartrisknoregrets.ca/

RespectED: Violence & Abuse Prevention

Education is the key to prevention — of abuse, bullying, violence and sexual exploitation. For 25 years, in communities across Canada, the Canadian Red Cross has been helping to break the cycle of hurt through this wonderful program. RespectED: Violence & Abuse Prevention programs promote healthier relationships and safer communities through education and partnerships.  Youth volunteers from across Canada are trained to participate and directly are engaged in helping others.  Click here to find out more about this program and how it might work in your area.

ThinkFirst for Kids is a 6-week comprehensive brain and spinal cord injury prevention program for children in grades 1, 2, and 3. The original program has been extended to grades K to 8 and includes developmentally appropriate classroom interactions and homework assignments dealing with violence prevention, playground/sport/recreation as well as bicycle, water, vehicle/pedestrian safety, and the anatomy and function of the brain and spinal cord. Developed and first implemented in Pennsylvania by health professionals, the Canadian version of the program has had minor modifications to increase relevance to Canadians.

"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about."      Margaret Wheatley

There are so many ways to become involved - as a Red Cross or Safe Communities volunteer at the grass roots, or as a professional or knowlegeable practioner through Safe Kids, Think First or No Regrets it they are already established in your community.  Click on any of the partners icons below to find out more. 

You can find out more about all these programs locally If your community is a designated member of the Safe Communities Canada network.  If you contact them for help in finding what programs are running locally that might interest you, chances are they can point you in the right direction. And local Safe Communities are always looking for help themselves.  Click here to see our map and if your community is already one of our 48 designated or candidate communities.

You can also call your United Way, your public health unit, your local police services or fire department.

 If you would like to think about spearheading or connecting with people you know where you live to achieve a Safe Communities designation, click here to find out more about the process of mobilizing your community to reduce injuries.

Your Service Club can make itself visible in the cause of reducing injuries to children, seniors and others in your community in countless ways  We realize you may think of ideas we're never even considered.  

In fact, if you have thought of other ideas on how to be Be Visible, have tried them out and made a difference, be sure to tell us!  Click here so we can find out what works, recognize you and your organization for what you have done and help others learn how they can make a difference too!s.  In the meantime, here are a few ideas to get the thinking process started:

• Sponsor at least one First Aid/CPR training session a year for young people in your community
• If you are already involved in senjiors programs, consider learning how to do simple audits for hazards in seniors homes (rus that slip, showers without grab bars) and then voluntgeering to make the simple fixes
• Find out which organizations in your community are already involved in some sort of Injury prevention or Safety Promotion activity in your community and get involved with helping them deliver it.
• If your community is a Canadian Safe Community, offer to join its Safe Community Leadership Table.