That was the message to Grouville School pupils as part of a special assembly hosted by the NSPCC designed to make sure children know who they should speak to if they are feeling unsafe.
The Speak Out, Stay Safe programme, which is delivered in schools across the UK, helps children understand and recognise the signs of neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse and bullying as well as to know who to turn to for advice to protect themselves.
Interactive sessions were run by NSPCC volunteer Peter Frost, alongside his mascot Buddy, who told children to speak to their family, teachers or Childline if they are feeling unsafe or uncomfortable about their interactions with certain adults.
Mr Frost said: ‘It is really important that the message gets out to kids of various ages so they know what to do if something happens to them.
‘If someone approaches them or someone does something on the internet that they don’t feel comfortable with they need to know where they can turn to.’
He added that some of the topics – particularly sexual abuse – can be a difficult concept for children to grasp.
‘We talk about private parts – the areas they cover up when they go swimming,’ he said. ‘It’s important that they are aware of it, but they wouldn’t necessarily understand the word sexual so we have to put it in a way that works for them.
‘I think more and more children are becoming aware of the issues.’
The children were also taught a song to remember the Childline phone number and about the work the charity does to support young people.
Year 5 student Sebastian Braunspahn-Alcala, said: ‘We learnt that if you are worried we don’t have to keep the worries to yourself. You can talk to anyone you know or call the Childline.’
He added that he thought spotting and stopping bullying in schools was important because ‘sometimes they might think they are having fun but it might not be fun for the other person’.
Fellow Year 5 student Isla England said she learnt that ‘we have the right to speak up and be heard and who to talk to’ and that there are ‘lots of people who can help’.
The Childline number, which is available to Jersey children, is 0800 1111.
