What is in the bag?
Discuss a fictional situation where someone asks you to carry an unknown item; identify safer choices.
Watch: Knife & Gun Crime
A practical independent living skills lesson. Use the activities below to discuss and practise afterwards.
Read the video transcript
You should never feel pushed into carrying a weapon or taking a risk for someone else. Practise saying no, moving somewhere safer, and knowing who to contact if you're worried.
Start here: three practical activities
These examples come from the Nexsteps Independent Living Skills Workbook. Choose an appropriate activity rather than treating this as a test.
- ACTIVITY 1Practise a safe refusal
Practise safely refusing a fictional request to carry a bag.
- ACTIVITY 2Plan a safer journey
With a worker, choose public places and a backup route.
- ACTIVITY 3Rehearse giving emergency information
Rehearse explaining risk and location without placing a call.
TRY SOMETHING INTERACTIVE
Make a choice. See what happens.
This is a fictional situation. Choose the response that feels most helpful and explore the feedback. It is not a test, and your choices are not recorded.
MORE WAYS TO LEARNEXTRA ACTIVITY 4 EXTRA ACTIVITY 5 EXTRA ACTIVITY 6
Three more real-life challenges
Choose the challenges that matter to you. Try them in a safe, supported way where needed. Ticking a box is only for your own use and is not stored.
Choose a safer route
Plan how to move to a safer place and contact trusted help in a fictional situation.
Emergency information practice
Using a fictional scenario, practise describing a location and concern to emergency services.
For practitioners · optional demonstration
Talk through this activity with Dawn
Try an AI voice demonstration about this skill using made-up examples. This is a restricted adult or staff-supervised pilot, not an unsupervised service for young people. You do not need AI to complete the activities.
Learn about the Dawn AI pilot →Review and save my own goal in My Nexsteps →
The voice guide does not save or mark this activity as completed. Do not enter personal case details.
My progress, my choices
Choose an activity and work at your own pace. When you try it, tick the box and reflect on what went well. There is no test to pass, and using support is an achievement too.
This activity is private to this browser page. Your answers are not sent to Nexsteps or saved. Do not include private personal details.
Create a Life Map missionMake this part of your own journey
Choose an activity linked to a goal that matters to you. Try it with the support you prefer, reflect on what worked and add your achievement to your personal progress record.
Plan a goal and review progress → Explore My Life. My Future. My Way. →Who is this for?
Young people aged 16–18 preparing for adulthood, including young people looked after or in supported accommodation. Key workers, personal advisers and other trusted adults can support each activity. Some activities also suit care-experienced young adults.
Learn · Try · Practise · Evidence · Review · Progress
Agree the young person’s goal, the support and any safety arrangements. Use fictional examples for sensitive topics and follow safeguarding procedures. Record only necessary evidence; never put private disclosures or identifying details into public website forms.
Want the full workbook?
The complete Nexsteps workbook includes guided worksheets, fictional scenarios and progress reviews for practitioners and young people.
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