Sometimes, being a teen coach feels like a double edged sword. On one hand, I have the opportunity to work with and impact the lives of teens. On the other, I have dozens of teenagers that I worry about as if they were my own. 2013 has been a devastating year for several of my clients who have been impacted by sexual assault, more specifically, rape. I’ve seen the terrible aftermath of rape first hand too many times. Girls who are victims of rape are forced to deal with the horror of their assault in more ways than many people realize… judgment by their friends, bullying, rumors, nightmares, guilt, self hatred, and the list goes on.
1 in 4 girls will become the victims of sexual assault by the age of 20. TWENTY FIVE PERCENT. That statistic is just staggering to me and I want to do everything in my power to make sure my clients, their friends, and all teenage girls in our community know how to protect themselves. I believe learning self-defense is part of the answer.
I’ve heard it all, “girls don’t have a chance if a man decides he wants to rape them,” or “give girls guns, that’s the only way the will be able to protect themselves.” I disagree. Self-defense is the art of being aware of your environment and keeping yourself out of potentially dangerous situations. Self-defense can teach girls to be confident and AWARE. More times than not, a rapist will choose the girl who is neither of those things.
I teamed up with Penny Simpsons, from Shayne Simpsons Martial Art and Fitness on June 21st for our first self-defense course for girls and women. Penny is a black belt and specializes in women’s self-defense. She did a beautiful job teaching participants how to protect themselves. Did you know you are way less likely to be victimized if you simply walk with purpose and make eye contact with those around you?
The course was a hit, and because of your requests we already have another workshop scheduled for January 25th. Click here to register today: http://selfdefense.brownpapertickets.com/
