School: Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Track: Youth Month: 1 of 12 (self-paced: all sections are posted, and you learn at your own pace) Presented by: Minister Destiny Marie Morgan, Muslim Ordained Minister
This lesson is educational information and is not legal advice. Laws vary by state. If you are in danger right now, call 911.
Adapted from the Youth Core, Week 1.
Before you start
- This space is private. Nobody sees what you read or how you answer. Your progress is saved only in your own browser on this device.
- We never ask your name. Not here, not on the test, not on the certificate. If you earn a certificate, you download it first and write your own name on it after.
- Pass the month test at 80% or higher to earn this month's certificate. You can retake the test as many times as you need — each retake presents the questions in a different order, with the answer choices in a different order too. Answers are not shown — the point is to go back, find what you missed in the lesson, and learn it for real.
- If you are in danger right now: call 911. If you cannot talk out loud, text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line) or call or text 988 any time, day or night.
The lesson
1. What safe at home really means
Home is supposed to be the safe place. For a lot of young people, it mostly is. For some, home is where the hard stuff happens — yelling that never stops, adults who drink or use drugs and change into different people, being hit or grabbed, being left alone too much, or a feeling in your stomach that something is just not right. If any of that sounds familiar: it is not your fault, and it is not your job to fix the adults. Your job is to be as safe as you can and to know exactly who you can go to.
Safe does not mean perfect. Every family argues sometimes. Safe means you are not being hit, hurt, or touched in ways that are wrong. It means you have food, a place to sleep, and someone who knows where you are. It means you are not scared all the time in your own home. And it means when something goes wrong, there is an adult you can tell who will believe you. If one of those is missing, that is a real problem — and it is an adult problem, not a kid problem. Telling someone about it is not snitching. It is how the problem gets to the people whose actual job is fixing it.
2. Red flags at home — signs something is wrong
Learn to name what you are seeing. A red flag is a warning sign, and naming it helps you decide what to do next. Red flags at home include an adult who hurts you, hurts someone else in the home, or threatens to. They include an adult who touches you in a way that feels wrong, or who asks you to keep secrets about touching. You never have to keep that kind of secret. Ever. They also include adults who are often drunk or high so that nobody steady is in charge, being locked out or left alone overnight when you are too young, often having no food in the house, and feeling afraid to go home.
Any one of these is enough reason to talk to a trusted adult. You do not have to wait until it gets worse, and you do not have to prove it is "bad enough." If your body feels tense when you walk through the door, if you hide in your room to stay out of the way every night, or if you watch the adults' moods the way you would watch the weather before a storm, pay attention to that feeling. Your feelings are information.
3. Your trusted-adult map — build it before you need it
A trusted adult is a grown-up who listens to you, believes you, does not hurt you, and will actually do something to help. It can be a parent or grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a teacher, a school counselor or nurse, a coach, a faith leader, a friend's parent, or a police officer or firefighter. The key is not the title. The key is how the person acts: they take you seriously and they follow through.
Build your map now, before you need it. Pick three trusted adults — not one, three — because one person might not be reachable. For each one, know their name and how to reach them, with a phone number memorized or written somewhere safe. Know where to find them if you cannot call, such as their classroom, workplace, or house. And know what you would say. You can practice the sentence: "I need to tell you something serious. I am not safe at home, something happened, and I need help." Practicing the words when you are calm makes them much easier to say when you are scared.
If the first adult does not believe you or does nothing, tell the next one. Keep telling until someone acts. That is not being dramatic. That is how help works, and adults who work with kids are trained and required to act. Teachers, counselors, nurses, and coaches are mandated reporters — by law they must report it when a child may be abused or neglected. That means your words carry real weight when you tell them.
4. How to ask for help when you cannot talk out loud
Sometimes it is not safe to make a phone call. You still have options, and knowing them ahead of time matters. You can text a trusted adult or text a help line, such as texting HOME to 741741. You can show someone a note you wrote, either on paper or on your phone screen. You can tell a teacher or counselor at school in person, in a place where it is safe to talk. If there is an emergency and you call 911 but cannot speak, stay on the line — dispatchers are trained to respond — and in many places you can text 911 instead.
Think through which of these would work best in your home. Do you have a bedroom door you can close? A bathroom where a short text is normal? A walk to school where you can stop and talk? Choosing your safest way to reach out, before a hard night happens, is part of your plan, not an afterthought.
5. Your quick safety plan — make it today
A safety plan is a plan you make ahead of time so you are not trying to invent one while you are scared. Your quick plan has four parts. First, a safe place: one place you can go fast, like a neighbor's porch, a store, a library, or a friend's house. Second, a safe person: your number one trusted adult, with their phone number memorized. Third, safe words: if you have a friend or relative you talk to often, agree on a code word that means "I need help, send an adult." Fourth, essentials: if you ever have to leave fast, keep shoes by the door and your phone charged when you can.
Write your plan somewhere you can find it but where it will not cause trouble at home — a notes app, a school notebook, or a card in your backpack. Review it once in a while. People move, phone numbers change, and a plan only helps if it is current.
6. What NOT to do
Do not try to step between adults who are fighting or to protect someone by putting your own body in the way — get to your safe place and get an adult or call 911. Do not keep secrets about touching, threats, or being hurt, even if an adult told you that you would be in trouble for telling. That threat is part of the problem, not a rule you have to follow. Do not blame yourself for an adult's drinking, anger, or choices. And do not wait for a perfect moment to tell someone. A short, plain message sent today helps more than a perfect speech you never give.
Words to know — Month 1
- Trusted adult — a grown-up who believes you, does not hurt you, and will act to help.
- Red flag — a warning sign that something is wrong or unsafe.
- Safety plan — a plan you make ahead of time: where to go, who to call, and what to say.
- Mandated reporter — a professional, like a teacher, counselor, nurse, or coach, who is required by law to report when a child may be abused or neglected.
- Neglect — when a child's basic needs for food, shelter, supervision, or medical care are not being met.
- Code word — a word or phrase you agree on ahead of time that quietly means "I need help now."
- Confidential — kept private, shared only with people who need to know in order to help or keep you safe.
Myths vs facts — Month 1
- Myth: Telling an adult about trouble at home is snitching and will only make things worse. Fact: Telling is how help reaches you. Adults whose job is safety cannot help with a problem they do not know about, and reporting is the step that connects your family to support and protection.
- Myth: If home is not perfect, it means your family does not love you. Fact: Safe does not mean perfect. Many loving families argue and struggle. The line is about being hurt, being touched in wrong ways, being left without care, or being afraid all the time — those need outside help, no matter how much love is also there.
- Myth: You need proof, like photos or recordings, before anyone will believe you. Fact: You do not need proof to tell. Start with your words, said plainly. Mandated reporters are trained to listen first and let the right people look into it.
- Myth: A good kid handles family problems alone and never bothers adults. Fact: Handling it alone is not the job of a child or teen. Asking for help is the strong, correct move, and it is what trusted adults are there for.
What would you do? — Month 1
The situation: Your friend Kayla has been quiet all week. At lunch she finally tells you her mom's boyfriend yells every night, and last night he threw a plate at the wall near her. She makes you promise not to tell anyone. She says, "It's fine, he didn't hit me."
Walk it through:
- Believe her, and say so. "I believe you. That is not fine, and it is not your fault."
- Understand the promise. A promise to keep a dangerous secret is not a promise you have to keep. Secrets about someone getting hurt or scared at home are never secrets to keep. Telling is not betraying her — it is protecting her. A thrown plate today can be worse tomorrow.
- Tell a trusted adult the same day. Choose a teacher, counselor, or your own parent. Say exactly what she told you, in her words as much as you can.
- If she is in danger tonight, that is a 911 call — or tell an adult who will make it right away.
- Stay her friend afterward. She might be upset that you told. Most kids, later, are glad someone did. Keep showing up, sitting with her, and checking in.
The same steps work if the person in the situation is you.
Try this — Month 1
Build your trusted-adult map today. On paper or in a private notes app, write down three trusted adults. For each person, write their name, how to reach them, and where you could find them in person. Then write one practice sentence you could say or text to start the conversation, such as "I need to tell you something serious and I need help." Next, finish your quick safety plan: one safe place you can reach quickly, one safe person whose number you will memorize, one code word if you want one, and where you will keep your shoes and phone charger. Check it once: could you use this plan tonight if you had to? If not, fix the missing piece now, while things are calm.
Resources to keep — Month 1
- 911 — call if you or someone else is in danger right now.
- 988 (call/text) — call or text 988 any time for emotional distress or a crisis.
- Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741 to connect with a live counselor by text.
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline — 1-800-422-4453 — call if home is the problem or you are worried about abuse or neglect.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1-800-799-7233 / text START to 88788 — if there is violence or fear between adults at home, this line helps with safety planning.
- A trusted adult, your school counselor, or your school nurse — people in your daily life who can listen and act.
What you earned / what's next — Month 1
✅ Month 1 complete (test score 80% or higher): You can spot red flags at home, you have a trusted-adult map with three names on it, you know how to ask for help out loud, by text, or with a note, and you have a quick safety plan you built yourself.
What's next: Month 2 — Online Safety — Strangers, Grooming, Sexting, and Sextortion. The internet has trusted-adult problems of its own, and next month you learn to spot them before they get close.
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools — Youth. Lessons are educational information, written in plain language. If you or someone you know is in danger, call 911. Help lines: 988 (call/text) · Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) · Childhelp 1-800-422-4453.