Sometimes it's hard to ask for help and support
because you don't realise that there is something
wrong, or that you have a choice in how you feel
or how you are being treated. If you are used to
things being a certain way, then you might not
know that you can be happier, and that you
don't always have to keep experiencing the
things that make you feel hurt or unhappy.

Tina was always getting teased at school.
Here's what happened and how she learnt to ask for help.

Every day at school a group of kids picked
on Tina because she had red hair. When
Tina was little she loved the colour of her
hair but now that she was going to school
and being teased for it, she started to not like
her hair at all. Every time the kids teased her
for the way she looked, Tina would become
very upset. Tina started to feel very unhappy.

Tina really wanted help. She told her mum she
was being picked on at school for her red hair.
Her mum didn't think it was a big deal. She
told Tina not to listen to them and that she had
beautiful hair. Even though her mum tried to
comfort her, Tina still felt hurt, and the kids kept
teasing her. Tina didn't get the help she needed!

Tina mentioned the problem to a couple of her friends
at school. They told her to just ignore the kids that
were teasing her. This didn't work either, because
every time they said something mean, it really hurt
her. Tina still didn't get the help she needed!

Finally, Tina went to her teacher and told her. Tina's
teacher took Tina to the Principal. The Principal talked
to Tina about the problem.

Over time, he helped Tina to gain confidence in
herself so that if someone said something mean
to her, she wouldn't feel hurt because she knew
it wasn't the truth. He explained to Tina that if
someone is saying something mean, it's because
they don't feel good about themselves.

This helped Tina to be understanding towards
the kids that were teasing her and to not feel so
hurt when they said something. When the kids
that were teasing Tina saw that they couldn't
upset her anymore, and that she didn't care
what they thought, they got bored with her
and decided to leave her alone.

Because Tina asked for help, she learned how
to change how she thought and felt about her
problem. Tina learned that even though she
couldn't change how others treated her, she
could choose how she felt about herself, no
matter what anyone else thought. This gave
her a lot of freedom because it meant that
from now on, she didn't have to feel hurt
by something someone else said. She knew
that it could only hurt her if she let it.

When Tina needed help she didn't give up! She was unhappy
and didn't want to keep feeling hurt and being teased. Even
though Tina didn't know what to do to find happiness, she
knew that if she kept asking for help, someone else would be
able to help her learn how to face this problem, and she
could find a way to be happy again.


When you have a problem, keep asking for help until
you get the help that you need.

Sometimes other people might not think your
problem is important, but that's only because
they don't understand. Everybody sees problems
differently, so it's ok if others don't understand you
completely. You just need to keep asking for help
until you find someone that does understand your
problem, and is able to give you the help you need.

It's important for you to remember that if you
are feeling hurt or unhappy in any way at all,
there is ALWAYS something that you can
do to change how you are feeling!






Everybody needs help sometimes, so never be afraid
to ask for help whenever you need it!

You can ask for help and support whenever you
have a problem that you don't know how to
face, or if things in your life change and you
feel scared. You can ask for help if you are
feeling angry, sad, hurt, alone, or any other
feeling that makes you feel unhappy. You can
ask for help ANY TIME you need it. There
doesn't have to be any reason other than
that you want help and support.

Even if you don't know exactly what is wrong or how
you could be helped, you can still ask for help.

You can explain your situation and how you feel
to someone you trust and "tell them that you
want help". If that person doesn't give you the
help you need, then go to someone else. Keep
asking for help until you find someone that
understands and is able to help you.

If you go to someone and they can't or don't help
you, it doesn't mean they don't care. Maybe they
don't know how to help you. Sometimes other
people don't understand how you feel, or think
that your problem is very serious.

Don't ever let that stop you!

Ask someone else for help and keep asking until
you find someone who does help you!





When you are asking for help, try to go to
someone who respects you, and who you trust
and feel safe with. Make sure that it's someone
who is able to help you. For example, if you
are having a problem keeping up with your
school work, you would go to someone who
understands your problem, like your teacher.
Or if you are having a problem at home, you
could go to your parents or school counsellor.

If you don't know who can help you, ASK someone.
Go to someone you trust, tell them you need help
with an issue, and ask them to help you find the
right person to help you. Normally your teacher,
principal or school counsellor can help you
to find the right person to talk to.



Here is a list of some of the people and places
you can go to and ask for help:

* your parents
* friend's parents
* your teacher
* your principal
* the school counsellor or nurse
* family members
* family friend
* Uniting Kids
* Kid's Help Centre

There are Help Centres for kids to find someone
to talk to in countries all over the world. To find
your nearest Help Centre, click on the link below
and select your Country:

www.chiworld.org





If you feel like the person you have gone to hasn't helped
you the way you need help, then go to someone else.

There is ALWAYS someone who can help you,
or guide you to the right person to help you.







Sometimes someone might offer you help or
advice that isn't right for you. Remember that
you NEVER HAVE TO take someone else's
advice. If anything makes you feel
uncomfortable, scared, nervous or uneasy,
then don't do it. First think very carefully
about whether or not it's the right thing to
do. You can always ask another person if
you want some extra help.

You will know you have the right help if it feels like you are working towards dealing with your problem in a positive and loving way or you have had a happy outcome.

There are many different ways to face
each problem or challenge that you have in
your life, so if one way doesn't work, there
will always be other ways you can try. The
important thing is that you never give up and
you keep trying and asking for help until you
have found a way to deal with your issue.

Only ever accept help or advice from someone
if it is safe, and doesn't hurt or upset yourself
or anyone else. You should only ever solve
your problems in ways that are positive, safe
and caring towards everyone involved.