Teen & Young Adult Self-Defense

What would it be like for a young woman or a young queer person to start college from a place of empowerment? By that I mean to have clarity—or, as much clarity as a person who is still turning into themselves CAN have—about some essential things regarding their own agency. To hold, in an embodied, unwavering way, these truths: my body is completely my own; my safety is more important than anyone’s feelings; no one should ever treat me in a coercive, disrespectful, or dehumanizing way—especially in an intimate setting; I have the power to use my voice and my body to protect myself from harmful situations.

That isn’t how many of us started our college experiences, or our experiences of being out in the world—wherever we went—after high school. And it isn’t the place many young people are starting from today, either. For all the feminist progress we have made in broader American culture (progress that has also come with intense blowback), the sexual experiences of young people still often involve pressure, alcohol, little communication, unhealthy expectations, a lack of real intimacy, and sometimes violence. This harms young people of all genders, but it especially harms young women, nonbinary people, and LGBTQ kids.

The way misogyny seeps into how people treat others and what treatment people will accept is a large cultural problem that doesn’t have an easy fix, but we can give tools to those who are likely to be targeted, and we can shift expectations as a step toward shifting norms. When I was young, I was taught that boys only want one thing, which taught me to expect to be dehumanized. So when I was alone with a boy or a man who dehumanized me, I questioned my own choices, not his. It didn’t keep me safe; it kept me stuck in rooms I didn’t want to be in.

At IMPACT, our next upcoming public class (August 1st-2nd) is specifically for teens and young adults who are girls/women, nonbinary, or LGBTQ, aka those who are most likely to experience misogyny in intimate settings. We will train our students to stand up for themselves, to feel how powerful they are, and to not accept dehumanizing or unsafe behavior. Most of the teens will be there reluctantly at first, perhaps annoyed that their parents registered them for an all-weekend class in the summer. That feeling doesn’t last. Instead of characterizing how they usually feel when they leave, I’ll let some of them tell you themselves:

“I will remember most how I felt after doing each scenario. The nerves slowly disappearing and in their place feelings of accomplishment and pride, knowing that I actually can do it, even if I don’t think I can. The class forces you to confront a lot of deep fears and face them head-on. To anyone who is thinking of taking this course, I would say absolutely do it.”

“The most valuable thing this class taught me was that I do not have to be docile or compliant in situations where I feel uncomfortable or threatened, and I am capable of keeping harm from happening to me.”

“The IMPACT self-defense course is one of the most life changing courses I have been a part of.”

“I feel ready to take on the world.”

You can register yourself or a loved one for the upcoming class here.