Family Life Education Learning About Refusal Skills Lesson 4

Purpose  Sometimes your friends may pressure you to do things you don’t want to do; or, things you know that are wrong.  Today, you will learn skills that will help you resist pressure and keep your friends.  During the lesson, think about topics that will be covered during this unit: puberty; anatomy; STDs and harassment, and how you can use these skills in your own life.

Introduce Refusal Skills  “What is the hardest word to say to a friend?”  “Why is it hard to say NO?” Want to keep a friend  The refusal skills in this lesson will help you:  Say NO!  Stick to your limits and follow family rules  Keep your friends

Video: You Can Refuse  After viewing the five vignettes, we will practice using the refusal skills as a class.

Refusal Skills Worksheet  Ask questions  “Who, what, where, why…”  Name the trouble  “That’s stealing, lying, against the law…”  State the consequences  “If I do that…grounded, suspended, arrested…  Suggest an alternative  Move it, sell it and leave the door open  Walk away!

Practice Refusal Skills  With a partner, choose a scenario from the “Role Play Options” worksheet.  Practice using all of the steps without pressure.  Each of you should take a turn as the skill user.  I will be asking for volunteers to demonstrate their role play.

Practice Under Pressure  Please practice your scenario again with pressure.  Each of you are to take a turn as skill user.  I will be asking for volunteers to demonstrate their role play

Summary  Please remember :  The skills will only work if you don’t want to participate in the behavior/ activity  It is easier to say NO! to someone you don’t like  The role-plays allow you to practice the skills before you are faced with a real challenge