‘After the Bell Rings,’ a Safety and Situational Awareness Guide for Kids

 

By John Petrolino

Instructor and advocate Bill Dalpe did not intend to go down the road he did initially. Dalpe wanted to bring a social awareness program to a local school, and after getting stonewalled by an administrator, he realized he needed to take matters into his own hands. The educator, with decades of experience, found himself authoring his own book on personal safety and responsibility for young teens, After The Bell Rings. Dalpe is pleased to announce that he’s transitioned the lessons from his book into a full-fledged class.

The class and accompanying book focus on teaching tweens and young teens awareness techniques to help keep them safe. While the information is not a magic talisman, it does equip youth with the knowledge they need to know situations, relationships, and how to respond to potentially dangerous dynamics. The program is designed to be reinforced by parents or guardians who review the material with their children.

Utilizing a system he developed called the Trust Ring, Dalpe categorizes relationships and situations based on how well an individual knows or is acquainted with another. The Trust Ring uses colors in relation to levels of trust, similar to the color codes of awareness developed by USMC Colonial Jeff Cooper. Dalpe says in his seminars that youth can immediately relate to the different levels of trust they should put into others utilizing the color-coded trust ring. 

The book and class both use scenario-based lessons to inspire learning. After the core information is presented, students get to navigate through the events. Adults are invited to review the lessons with the student and draw connections from their lives as examples.

Dalpe has been working on perfecting the lessons that he teaches in his book and has finally rolled out an educational program to qualify others in being able to deliver his material. Prospective instructors would be given all materials needed, including an electronic slideshow to deliver the content. 

To be eligible for consideration as an instructor, candidates must already have established ties with bona fide youth organizations or dynamics. Scout leaders, Sunday school teachers, educators, youth group volunteers, etc., are all examples of eligible persons. Dalpe wants to ensure that his message is delivered by already credible messengers who have established positive reports with youth.

In discussing the book and program with Dalpe, his intention is to empower youth. He said of the system, “It’s just like the tagline to my book, to give kids the tools they need to stay safe.” Dalpe continued, “There comes the point when parents, they are not going to be around their kids, whether it be at a friend’s house, the ballfield, scouts, and kids need to know this base core knowledge for their own personal safety.” Dalpe says that kids need “to really own it.”

For people interested in learning more about the book and the program, they can visit an information page on the web at atbrbook.com. Dalpe also invites interested parties to contact him to discuss becoming an instructor or having a class scheduled via email at [email protected] or on the telephone at 508-677-7219.