OoUWP Safety Announcement

The Office of Underage Wizard Protection have asked me to allow them to tell you in more detail about the pamphlets they have provided for your edification. The following notes come from the quill of Prunella Post, Assistant for Educational Outreach and Issues Advocacy:

Children of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hello! I shall be addressing you each day to raise your awareness of the many hazards that threaten your well-being and to alert you to the simple steps all children should take to protect themselves from harm.

We will begin today with basic matters of Safety Awareness because Self-Protection begins with Self-Awareness!

1. Take Stock of Your Surroundings: If you are by a lake, notice the water line so you do not fall in accidentally. If you are in a corridor, make a mental note of all doorways and stairs; ask yourself, 'If something were to happen, what routes would I take to get safely and quickly away?' If you are in a classroom, assemble a mental inventory of items that could be used in an emergency--draperies that could be used to smother a fire, for instance, or stools that could be used to smash the windows should you need to flee the building and be unable to exit via the doorway.
2. Notice WHO Is in Your Vicinity: Are you surrounded by familiar faces? If so, calculate which of them may be counted upon for help should the need arise and which cannot. Are there any strangers nearby? If so, quickly assess what harm they might be capable of doing you.
3. Consider Your Habits: Do you often walk alone to lessons or to meals? Do you sit apart in the library? Do you dash off to the toilets by yourself before a lesson? Do you habitually follow the same routes about the castle at predictable times of the day? Do you leave your timetable lying about where others may view it? Do you reveal information about your habits and private behaviours in your public journal?
4. Reconsider Your Habits: it is always safer to keep one or two friends close about you; it is wise to vary the routes you travel from place to place; it is important to keep personal information private from prying eyes.
5. Evaluate Your Friendships: Have you chosen your friends well? Do they watch out for you? Do they ask after you if you seem out of sorts? Do they insist on going with you whenever you are thinking of wandering off alone? Do you look out for them? Do you notice if a friend behaves oddly? Do you warn your friends to give over risky enterprises and hare-brained schemes?

If you make these five simple Self-Awareness Procedures part of your daily life, you will find that your life improves immeasurably. To learn more about these important basic safety measures, ask Madam Pomfrey or a Prefect for copies of the following pamphlets:

* Look Sharp (Be Aware of Your Surroundings)
* Have a Care, Beware! (How To Know a Dodgy Sort When You See One)
* Friends Keep Friends Safe
* How To Tell When Your Friend Needs Help
* Two Is Safer Than One
* Safe As Houses (Your Housemates Depend on You)

I look forward to sharing more with you about these crucial matters of personal safety. In the meantime, Keep Your Wits About You and Be Safe!

Ms Prunella Post, AEOIA
Office of Underage Wizard Protection