ABOUT US

No. The physical techniques and scenarios we teach are a combination of tried and tested ‘street defence’ tactics developed over the last 40 years. There is a huge focus on preventing violence and aggression before it becomes physical through situational awareness, risk assessment, boundary setting and de-escalation as well as realistic survival strategies.

Our classes are designed to be fun and engaging even though we deal with serious topics. All the games, exercises, drills and discussions are voluntary and you will not be asked to do anything you are not comfortable with.

During the assertiveness / empowerment section there will be a combination of short lectures, interactive exercises, and group discussions that will help you to develop your verbal self-defence skills and boundary setting, your awareness and intuition, and your understanding of the underlying causes of violence against women.

During the physical skills section, you will practice physical self-defence skills alone and with a partner. We encourage you to wear clothes that are easy to move in, but no special preparation is necessary. You do not need any prior experience or special skills to take our classes.

No! The physical skills we teach are easy to learn and do not require a great deal of strength or skill. They can be used by anyone, from children to older people. If you have particular concerns (for example, a bad back or a chronic injury), consult with our staff about how to adapt the skills for your situation.

Yes! Research has shown that empowerment-based self-defence training can reduce women’s risk of violence by at least 50%.

See the ESD+ page for more information.

A ‘Trauma-informed’ environment is one in which a feeling of safety is paramount. We create a safe place for you to do the training where we outline the days events and ensure that you feel comfortable participating in the events.

All activities are voluntary. As a personal safety training we always attribute the responsibility for assault to perpetrators, not the injured party. We respect that every person has a different life story and there is never any judgement around the past or the choices made to get to this point in time. We create a supportive friendly environment where we work together to understand and learn the skills to deal with the spectre of violence.

Not at all! The perpetrator is ALWAYS to blame for the violence they commit and ESD+ classes explicitly attribute responsibility for assault to perpetrators.

Empowerment Self Defence is simply one of the tools available to help combat violence against women and just because a woman is capable of defending herself, does not mean that she is responsible for doing so.

There are already other tools being employed by other organisation such as male re-education and bystander intervention programs. However, systemic changes such as these often take generations to become part of mainstream society and in the meantime perpetrators will still be committing sexual assault. We are committed to teaching people about the nature of violence and giving them the tools to navigate those situations successfully.

When we tell a driver to wear a seatbelt in case they are in an accident we are not victim blaming, we are simply trying to employ every means possible to keep them safe.

Yes. Research has shown that empowerment-based self-defence classes can be empowering and healing for sexual assault survivors. We aim to create a survivor-centred, trauma-informed classroom. However, we encourage you to be aware of where you are in your healing process, and to consult with a therapist or other advisor if you are not certain whether you are ready to take the class. None of the exercises in our courses are mandatory and you can choose from a range of options for anything you are uncomfortable with - including opting out.

Yes! As long as you identify as a woman (however you define it), you are welcome in this class. We are trans-friendly, queer-friendly, Greek-friendly, geek-friendly… We’re just friendly!

At this time, the women’s self-defence class is designed for people who identify as women. We are hoping to develop LGBTQIA+ specific classes in the future.

All our instructors are committed to ending violence against women. They are passionate about helping women develop the tools to both Empower and Defend themselves, and have dedicated themselves to helping to build the most effective program possible. We believe that sexual assault is not just a women’s issue, and we value the contributions, expertise and experience of everyone who opposes sexual violence.

Yes. We never want money to be the reason a person doesn’t get this potentially life-saving training. We always have free scholarship places available for every training we do. Please contact us if you would like to apply for a scholarship for one of our workshops.