Pre-Teen Girls And Transgender Youth To Learn Self-Defense Skills In Free Summer Workshop

The recent frightening and disturbingly violent events against both women and the transgender community in our neighborhood has shaken up many who fear for their safety.

Children of our community have also been affected by recent incidents. Between late 2015 through the winter of 2016, multiple incidents involving iPhones being stolen — at times in busy areas of the neighborhood — have been of extreme concern to some parents.

The Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE) wants to help by serving as a vital resource for empowering citizens to feel safer on the streets. This Saturday, a class geared towards both pre-teen girls and transgender youth begins — and this five-week workshop is free. The age range is 9-12, however there is some flexibility.

The class will include discussions on safety, violence-prevention techniques, and physical self-defense training in a non-competitive atmosphere.

“I feel the training made my girls more aware and more prepared if something were to happen to them,” says Susan Fox, Founder of Park Slope Parents.

And that is the goal — to provide techniques for the individual.

“From the data we have collected, there are so many young girls and teens who are victims of abuse at this age [9-12],” says BJ Watkins of CAE. “This course helps diminish the statistics.”

CAE’s course options are certainly not limited to youth. The organization provides comprehensive violence prevention programs for organizations and individuals of all ages. A full list of programs and classes is available here.

The free class offering also has the ability to provide parents more peace of mind as well. “I’m not always going to be there, and the CAE training gives them a step up and more street smarts,” says Fox.

The Workshop Rundown: Free Pre-Teen Girls and Transgender Youth 5-Week Self-Defense Course
Where: Center for Anti-Violence Education, 327 7th Street #2 at 5th Avenue
When: A 5-week workshop every Saturday between July 9-August 6, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Class Registration: This class is free. The registration form is available here.
More information: Call CAE at 718-788-1775 or visit caeny.com. The age range is 9-12, however this is flexible.