Grade 11 Healthy Active Living Education Additional Supports ...

Violence and Risk Taking Behaviour
Public Profile
Unit #3 Activity #6
Teaching Learning Strategy #2
Teacher Resource (Background Information)
Catholic Profile
Unit #2 Activity #4
Teaching Learning Strategy N/A
Definition of Risk
• Risks are traditionally seen as having negative or harmful outcomes.
• Definitions of risk are tied to ideas that risk is a source of danger, a hazard, and an
action taken without thinking about possible loss or injury. Synonyms for risk include
to threaten, to endanger, and to take a chance.
• Taking risks, however, is something done every day, often without thinking about
them, and not all risks are associated with harm. Some risks help us to grow and
learn about our world and ourselves.
• Taking risks is an important aspect of living. We need to learn how to calculate and
weigh out the alternatives around risks and risk situations and the potential they may
hold for harm to others and ourselves.
Types of Risks
• Physical Risks e.g., crossing the street against a red light, diving into water when you
do not know how deep it is, riding a bike without a helmet, and getting into a car with
a driver who has been drinking
• Social or Emotional Risks e.g., deciding not to drink or do drugs when all your
friends are, shaving your head or getting an outrageous hair cut, asking someone out
on a date, going to an unsupervised party, confronting a friend, meeting new people.
• School or Work-related e.g., skipping class or not showing up for work, cheating on
a test or stealing something from work, doing well at school or being promoted at
work.
Adapted with permission from Toronto Public Health, Risk Taking Teaching Package,
1998
Grade 11 Healthy Active Living Education (PPL30), Module #3 Violence and Risk Taking Behaviour
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