Impact Personal Safety

Public empowerment self-defense classes: our public experiential classes teach verbal and physical boundary-setting and self-defense. We teach empowerment self-defense (esd), a self-defense model, which states that each class must address the culture of violence (sexism, gender socialization, etc.) and teach boundary-setting and de- escalation skills. Graduates of our program report feeling safer, more confident, and more free once they know they have the power to prevent violence. Our adult self-defense classes cover topics such as healthy relationships, setting boundaries with people you know, threat assessment, threat management, and verbal and physical self-defense. Children ages 6-12 receive a evelopmentally appropriate curriculum that teaches stopping unwanted touch, setting boundaries, physical self-defense skills and getting help from a trusted adult. 52 participants in 2024.

Disability programs: people with disabilities are at significantly higher risk of experiencing abuse than people without disabilities. We provide hands-on programs to prevent violence for people with disabilities that teach individuals skills to protect and advocate for themselves as well as promote a positive sense of identity. Additionally, we work with educators, caregivers, service providers, and parents to provide education on the specific abuse dynamics and actions/policies that can reduce harm and abuse. We provide these programs in collaboration with schools and disability service providers, and present during professional development sessions and conferences. 269 participants in 2024.

Other violence prevention programs for youth: we work with youth organizations such as girls inc. Of santa fe and the santa fe teen center to provide skill- based violence prevention classes. These classes address many aspects of violence prevention, including healthy relationships, the roots of violence, anti-bias/anti-bullying, verbal and physical boundary- setting, de-escalation and self-defense. In an already supportive environment, such as group or community organization, children and teens are more likely to disclose any problems they are having at home, as well as explore new behaviors that could prove beneficial to them in the future. 21 participants in 2024. Other violence prevention programs for adults: we know that it is critical to work not only with youth but also adults to ensure that the skills and attitudes that the youth learn are enforced and supported by the adults in their lives. We work with teachers, school staff, parents, conference attendees, and service providers to help create a community that promotes safety as an important value. These classes and programs address many aspects of violence prevention, including healthy relationships, protecting young children, approaches to violence prevention, the roots of violence, anti-bias/anti-bullying, verbal and physical boundary-setting, de-escalation, and self-defense. We also present at events, conferences, schools, provider meetings, and coalition meetings. 428 participants in 2024.