October 24, 2012
For Immediate Release
Parents: Halloween is a Great Time of Year to Practice the Buddy System
Canadian Centre’s Online Halloween Game Helps Parents Teach Young Trick-or-Treaters the Important Habit of Always Bringing a Buddy Along
WINNIPEG, MB: The mere mention of Halloween can conjure up for many parents a mix of anticipation and
dread. But somewhere between the hunt for the most perfectly ghoulish of children’s costumes and candy that will not
offend neighbourhood kids, lies an opportunity for parents to both teach and practice with young ones the important
safety strategy known as the Buddy System. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, with the support of Honeywell,
has developed an online Halloween game that will help parents teach their children, ages 4 to 6 years, about getting
into the habit of always bringing a buddy along when going places.
“The Buddy System is a safety strategy that should play an integral role in children’s everyday lives, and what better
time to practice it then on Halloween,” says Lianna McDonald, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
“We encourage parents to take a few minutes between the selecting of costumes, the purchasing of candy, and the painting
of faces to discuss the Buddy System with their children so we can all make sure this Halloween is a safe one.”
Research has shown that children who go places alone are at a greater risk of being harmed. The Canadian Centre for
Child Protection’s education program, Kids in the Know, has created the Billy Brings His Buddies program
(www.billybuddy.ca), which includes an online Billy Brings his Buddies
Halloween game, to help parents and educators alike teach children from an early age about the Buddy System. This
personal strategy can help children increase their safety by teaching them the important habit of staying with a buddy
when going places. Aside from the online Halloween game, the Billy Brings his Buddies program includes a free
downloadable Grade 1 teacher kit, an online storybook and interactive activities to help educators and parents reinforce
the Buddy System safety strategy with kids all year round. This year, over 10,000 cards were sent to Grade 1 classrooms
across Canada to remind teachers to access their free downloadable Billy Brings his Buddies teacher kit online.
“Since the program began in 2006, Honeywell has been proud to partner with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection
in keeping children safe” says Kerry Kennedy, Director of Honeywell Hometown Solutions which sponsors the program. “Billy
Brings His Buddies is a fun, non-threatening way for children to understand simple rules to keep them out of harm’s
way while still being able to enjoy Halloween.”
To learn more about the Billy Brings his Buddies program, and to access the online Halloween game visit:
www.billybuddy.ca
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For more information please contact:
Carolyn Shimmin, Communications Coordinator, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Office: (204) 945-8074 Cell: (204) 801-6838
Email: carolyn@protectchildren.ca
