This assembly kit aims to encourage young people to think about emergency situations and how they might deal with them. Building young people's capacity to cope with emergencies is one of the best responses to attacks such as the London bombings.

The main focus of the kit is the performance – various accounts of personal emergencies. Students will be asked to reflect on the stories and think about how they might cope and how they might prepare themselves.

The add-on activities are designed to help students prepare for the assembly and make the performance as engaging as possible. The follow-up activities help students reflect on, research and learn more about the issues raised after the assembly.

This assembly kit is suitable for students aged seven to 16. It is designed to enable teachers to choose specific stories and activities to suit their particular group.

• To encourage students to think practically about how best to cope in the event of a major disaster, rather than focusing on fears about such an event.
• To build students’ resilience and ability to cope in the event of an emergency in their own lives.
• To help students develop strategies for how to prepare and deal with an emergency situation.

The stories in this script describe different kinds of emergency situations, including the aftermath of the London bombings on 7 July 2005.

To present an assembly using the kit, choose three or four of the six situations, including Darren’s story about the London bombings. Pick those that are most appropriate for your students and photocopy the script. Decide who will read out each story and have a read through or rehearsal before the performance.

Go through the script and encourage your actors to express their thoughts and feelings about it. Make sure they feel comfortable with the language, adapting it if necessary.

The role of the narrator involves asking the audience for their ideas, so it is probably best handled by a confident and mature student, or by a teacher.

You could choose to omit the audience participation, and just leave a few moments while students think to themselves what they might do.

The assembly can also be performed by two teachers – one taking the part of the narrator, the other reading the stories.

Make sure someone takes notes of the ideas people come up with during the performance.

Note that some of the actions taken by the young people are questionable. Use the risk assessment follow-up activity to help students think about how the characters could have been safer.

Narrator
Today’s assembly is about emergencies – how we deal with them, and how we can prepare for them. The first story is about something that happened to a 14-year-old called Darren. While you are listening, try to guess what has happened, and imagine what you would do in this situation.

> Story 1 – Darren

Darren
Hi, I’m Darren, and I’m 14. One summer, I had a day off school so I decided to go shopping for some new trainers. I went really early because the shops get so hectic later on.

I got a seat on the train even though it was full of people going to work. I was listening to music when suddenly everyone started to get off. I stayed where I was as it wasn’t my stop, but then a man said the driver had told everyone to leave the train.

When I came out onto the street, I had no idea where I was. There were lots of people standing around looking confused. I knew something strange had happened but I didn’t know what, or what to do next.

Narrator
What would you do if you were Darren?

[Get suggestions from the audience. If they involve taking a bus, using a mobile phone or walking home, Darren should say:]

> The queues for the buses were really long – I would’ve been waiting for hours.
> My phone had no coverage for some reason.
> I was already far away from home and didn’t know the way back.

Narrator
Can you guess why Darren was stranded?

[Take suggestions from the audience – are there lots of different ideas or do most people agree? Keep up the suspense by not revealing the answer just yet.]

Darren
I wanted to call my parents so I walked around until I found a phone box. I had to wait for ages as lots of people wanted to use it.

The man in front of me said that there had been some explosions on the tube, and I got really worried about my friends and my family. I tried calling my parents’ mobiles – I always call their mobiles during the day – but I couldn’t get through. Directory Enquiries was no good because I don’t know my parents’ work addresses.

I felt completely lost. I asked a woman for directions home. She said it was really far but pointed me in the right direction. I walked and walked. I didn’t have any cash to buy a drink – only a cash card.

Eventually I passed a bike shop. I told the man what had happened and he agreed to lend me an old bike if I left my cash card and my bag and came back the next day. He told me how to get home and when I finally got there I was so tired. Everyone I know was fine but it was still a really scary experience.

Narrator
Like thousands of others, Darren got caught up in the aftermath of the London bombings on 7 July 2005. The transport systems in the city were hugely disrupted and people were stranded away from their homes.

None of the people affected could have known that this was going to happen. Luckily, events like this one are extremely rare. But being caught so unaware made many people think about how they could better prepare for emergency situations in the future. If something similar happened to Darren again, how could he be better prepared?

[If students need prompting, ask them to raise their hands to show which of these suggestions they prefer:]

> Putting important landline numbers and addresses in his phone/wallet/notebook.
> Always carrying a bit of change for emergencies.
> Looking at a map to learn possible routes home from different parts of town.

Narrator
So what’s an emergency? It’s something serious that happens unexpectedly and means we have to do something immediately about it. It also means something that we can’t cope with very easily. It might be scary to think about an emergency happening to us. But if we plan and prepare, we’ll cope much better if something does happen.

We’re going to hear people talking about some other emergencies. While you listen, think about what you would do.

> Story 2 – Mollie

Mollie
Hi, my name is Mollie and I’m nine. The other day, just as I got home from school in the afternoon, I realised that I didn’t have my front door key. Nobody was in, and I knew that my parents wouldn’t come home for at least another three hours. I was hungry and cold and I didn’t know what to do.

Narrator
What would you do in Mollie’s situation?

[Get suggestions from the audience. If they involve spending money, using a mobile phone or getting help from neighbours, Mollie should say:]

> I had no money on me.
> My phone had no battery left.
> I don’t know any of my neighbours.

Mollie
I looked under our doormat for a spare key, even though I know we don’t have one. I tried the door handle and looked for open windows, but the door was locked and the windows are too high up.

I don’t know any of my neighbours so I felt too shy to ask to use their phone, and anyway I didn’t have anyone’s numbers on me because my phone was dead. I had no money to make a phone call or buy anything in a café so I could wait there, and the library was closed.

I thought about walking to my dad’s office but I don’t know the address. My mum works too far away to walk to and I didn’t know where my sister was. So I just sat on the doorstep until my dad came home from work three hours later. It had started to rain so I was soaking wet, hungry and thirsty and really annoyed!

Narrator
If Mollie lost her key again, what three simple things could she do to prepare?

[If students need prompting, ask them to raise their hands to show which of these suggestions they prefer:]

> Agree with her family to keep a key with a trusted friend or neighbour nearby.
> Keep change for a phone call, food or bus fare in her school bag
> Keep a note of important phone numbers and addresses in her wallet or notebook.

> Story 3 – Jehan

Jehan
Hi, I’m Jehan and I’m 11. Last week, when I was waiting for the bus to school, I couldn’t find my bus pass. I didn’t have any cash on me. I knew that everyone at home would have left for work already, and if I went home I’d miss my bus. I was completely stuck!

Narrator
What would you do if you were Jehan?

[Get suggestions from the audience. If they involve going home to look for his bus pass or money, using a mobile or asking a friend or neighbour to borrow money, Jehan should say:]

> I knew there wasn’t any cash at home and searching for my bus pass would make me late for school.
> I’d left my phone at home too.
> There was no one else at the bus stop and the only neighbour I know always leaves for work early.

Jehan
I looked in my bag and all my pockets for spare change, but I never keep any for emergencies. My bus came and went – I didn’t dare ask the driver if I could pay my fare next time.

Since I didn’t have my phone I didn’t have anyone’s phone numbers on me. I have never walked to school before but I decided to try, so I went into the nearest newsagent’s and asked if they had a map. They were really nice and helped me find a quick route.

I ran some of the way and got to school just as the bell rang. I was exhausted, but at least I could borrow some cash from my mates to take the bus home after school.

Narrator
If Jehan got stuck at the bus stop again, what three simple things could he do to make it less of a problem?

[If students need prompting, ask them to raise their hands to show which of these suggestions they prefer:]

> Always check for his bus pass before leaving home.
> Keep some spare change and emergency phone numbers in his school bag.
> Learn the best route to school for walking or cycling.

> Story 4 – Sarah

Sarah
Hi, I’m Sarah and I’m 12. Last Sunday I stayed at home while my parents went out for the evening. I was drying my hair and watching TV when the screen suddenly went black. All the lights went out, and the stereo and computer stopped working.

I realised the electricity had gone and panicked because it was dark and I couldn’t see what I was doing. I was really scared about being in the house for hours in the dark before my parents got home.

Narrator
What would you do if you were Sarah?

[Get suggestions from the audience. If they involve calling her parents, the electricity company or using the internet to get advice, Sarah should say:]

> I tried but their phones were switched off.
> I don’t know which electricity company we use or how to find their number.
> I couldn’t use the computer because there was no electricity.

Sarah
I asked my next door neighbour if she had electricity. She did, so it was obviously just a problem in our house. She came back to my house with a torch. She told me to turn all the electrical appliances off in case the electricity would suddenly come back on and damage them.

It turned out our key meter had run out of credit. I found the key and put it in the meter to get emergency electricity. Everything started working again. My neighbour lent me a bit of money and told me where to charge up the key. When my parents came home I felt really proud that I’d sorted it all out by myself!

Narrator
If this happened to Sarah again, what three simple things could she do to make it easier to deal with? What if she didn’t have a key meter and a fuse had blown?

[If students need prompting, ask them to raise their hands to show which of these suggestions they prefer:]

> Keep a torch somewhere that’s easy to find.
> Keep spare cash in a special box for charging up the key.
> Find out and write down what to do if a fuse blows.

> Story 5 – Anna

Anna
Hi, I’m Anna, and I’m 16. Last weekend I went to a party. It was in the middle of nowhere so my friend Ellie drove us there. We had a brilliant time and stayed until about 3am.
But on the way back to the car I realised Ellie was completely wasted – she could hardly even get the car key in the door. She thought it was hilarious, then passed out in the back seat. I can’t drive, it was really dark and cold, and I had no idea where we were.

I knew my parents would freak out if I woke them up this late, or if I didn’t come home.

Narrator
What would you do if you were Anna?

[Get suggestions from the audience. If they involve using a mobile to get a taxi, taking public transport or asking someone else at the party for help, Anna should say:]

> I didn’t have a taxi number in my phone. I didn’t know where to tell a taxi to come to, and I had no cash on me.
> It was the middle of the night in the countryside – no night buses there!
> I didn’t fancy walking back to the house alone in the dark.

Anna
I sent my mum a text to say I was fine and staying at Ellie’s, which was technically true as we ended up sleeping in her car. I felt really bad about it, but I didn’t know what else to do. We woke up freezing cold at about 8am, when a tractor trundled past. I ran out and asked the driver where we were – he looked at me as if I was mad.

Then I called my mum and told her everything. She was furious, but at least she came to pick me up. Ellie’s dad came with her so he could drive Ellie’s car home. We were so tired and embarrassed.

Narrator
What three simple things could Anna do if she gets lost in future?

[If students need prompting, ask them to raise their hands to show which of these suggestions they prefer:]

> Putting local taxi numbers in her phone.
> Finding out exactly where she is going and planning different ways to get home.
> Taking some extra cash to pay for a taxi.

> Story 6 – Tom

Tom
Hi, I’m Tom and I’m 15. One afternoon last year, I got a phone call saying my mum had been in a car accident and was in hospital. The person said she was OK but needed to stay in overnight. He asked me if I was able to manage on my own until the next day. I said yes but I felt sick when I hung up. I was really worried about my mum, and I didn’t know if I could really take care of my brothers alone.

Narrator
What would you do if you were Tom?

[Get suggestions from the audience. If they involve contacting his mum, dad, a relative or friends for help, Tom should say:]

> My dad isn’t around and we don’t have any relatives living nearby.
> I didn’t want to bother my mum, and anyway I knew you’re supposed to keep your phone turned off in hospital.
> I don’t think my mates would be much help, and I didn’t want to make things even more complicated by involving them.

Tom
I thought about what my mum does every day. Then I picked up my youngest brother from school, went home, made him and my other brother toast, and sat down with them to do homework. We had no money to buy food but I found something in the freezer and microwaved it.

Then my youngest brother, Adam, got really upset about Mum not being there. I thought he’d have an asthma attack and I didn’t know what to do.

Then I remembered that my mate Dan’s brother, Rob, is a paramedic. Dan got him on the phone and Rob told me to find his inhaler and encourage Adam to breathe calmly and regularly. It was scary but Rob stayed on the phone until Adam calmed down. Rob gave me his number said he’d come over straight away if we needed help.

We fell asleep really late and I forgot to set the alarm so we were all late for school. The house was a mess when we got home and we started fighting about who should tidy up. Luckily my mum came home that night.

Narrator
What three simple things could Tom do if something similar happens again? What if Tom and his brothers had been much younger when this happened?

[If students need prompting, ask them to raise their hands to show which of these suggestions they prefer:]

> Writing down emergency numbers for a trusted adult, a neighbour or social services.
> Keeping some money in a special place for food or transport.
> Writing down what needs to be done every day to keep the household going, and how to handle any special needs (inhalers, injections, prescriptions, etc.).

Narrator
Think about the stories you have just heard. Do you think the decisions the young people made were sensible or risky? Have you experienced similar emergencies? Would you have coped better if you had thought in advance about what to do, for example, if you couldn’t use your mobile? As these stories have shown, thinking ahead and creating your own personal emergency plan could make all the difference.

End of performance
 

Pick one or several of the add-ons to prepare for and incorporate into the performance. They’ll give your assembly extra impact.

Discussion and acting techniques add-on

Go through the script with your actors before the performance. Talk about how each character is feeling at different points in their story. Have any of your students experienced anything similar? If so, how and why? How did they feel while they were coping with the emergency? What about afterwards?

Discuss how actors in films and soap operas demonstrate their characters’ feelings by using different tones of voice or ways of talking, particular facial expressions and body language. Encourage students to experiment with these techniques as they read out their story. Talk about how communicating their character’s feelings in more ways than words can draw the audience in and get them more emotionally involved with the performance.

Drama add-on

If you have more time for the performance, consider adapting one or several of the stories by asking students to write short scripts for each one, devising roles and lines for the different characters.

After the initial performance, replay the ending to show how the characters could have prepared for and handled their emergency differently. Do this by preparing alternative endings before their performance, or get the audience to be ‘puppet masters’ and give directions to the actors on stage.

Speaker add-on

The emergency services are highly skilled and always on standby to help people in critical situations, such as after the London bombings. People with first aid skills can also make a big difference in emergency situations. Invite a trained professional or volunteer to talk about their experiences of preparing for and dealing with emergencies.

If time allows, this could be a great way to round off the assembly. Alternatively, use it as a follow-up activity where students can ask questions and learn some basic first aid skills.

> Contact your local Red Cross branch to arrange first aid training in your school. Visit www.redcross.org.uk/nearyou or call 0870 170 9222.

> Contact your nearest fire brigade, police station or paramedic service to find out about school visits.
 

These follow-up activities can be used after the assembly to explore some of the issues in more depth. You might use these directly after the assembly, or as a way to come back to the topic later in the term.

Risk assessment follow-up

Look at the risks involved in each story and at the decisions made by the young people involved. How sensible were they? What could they have done instead to be safer? What potential risks did they run?

For example, what could potentially happen to two teenage girls spending the night alone in a car on a country road? With small groups working on a story each, ask students to write down each risk and their suggestions for safer courses of action. Share each group’s ideas with the class.

You can extend this activity by asking students to imagine being a parent writing a letter to the young person involved after the emergency. How would the parent feel about the risks the young person took? What were his or her worries for their child? What would they want him or her to do differently if something similar happened in the future?

Round off by reading out some of the letters and talking about why it is important to avoid taking risks – getting hurt, upsetting people close to you – and how to avoid them – by thinking and planning ahead and being prepared.

Discussion follow-up

Divide students into small groups and ask them to talk about emergency situations that they, or people they know, have experienced. Do they know anyone who was caught up in the London bombings? What difficulties did they face?

Ask them to imagine emergencies that might occur in their lives. What scenarios can they think of? How did they or would they deal with it? How could they prepare in case it happens again? Ask one person to take notes from the discussion.

Bring the groups together to compare findings. Identify three key situations that students would like to be prepared for. What advice can students offer each other based on their own experiences and discussions? How could they find out more and learn important skills? Could they do web research, ask family members, do a first aid course, etc.?

To round off, write down students’ findings and suggestions and give everyone a copy.

Personal action plan follow-up

Ask each student to write down at least five action points that can help them prepare for emergencies. For example, they can find out what to do if there is a gas leak, write important numbers on a card in their wallet, carry spare change in a secret purse, find out their parents’ work addresses, etc.

Set a deadline and check that students have put their ideas into practice.

Worst case scenario follow-up

Ask students to find out about emergency situations that ordinary people have found themselves in, or worry about, by carrying out a survey of other students, teachers, friends, family, or in the local community. Develop a questionnaire, or just take a note of replies. Questions might include:

> How prepared are you for dealing with an emergency?
> Have you experienced an emergency?
> What happened and what did you do?
> Looking back, what would you do differently?
> What emergencies do you worry about?
> Would you worry less if you were better prepared?

Discuss your findings. What are the most common emergencies that people have experienced, and worry about? Would knowing what to do make people worry less and cope better?

Based on your findings, select some potential emergency situations. Divide students into smaller groups and ask them to focus on a few situations each. Students can create a poster or web page with advice on how to prepare for and handle these ‘worst case scenarios’. Use the suggestions from the assembly audience, their own ideas, internet or library research, and ideas from their survey.

Think about using cartoons, artwork, images from magazines or your own photos to make the advice pages come alive. Finally, display the work in a prominent place, and/or distribute copies or a web link.