"Oh, Yes. Oh, F*&^*ing Yes!" No Shame in Protecting Yourself!

Thanks to a WCC blog reader, I bring you this story shared on local news stations and YouTube of Nicola Briggs, a five-foot tall woman attacked on a subway by a man sideling up next to her and pulling out his condom-covered penis.  Fortunately for the rest of us, Nicola's quick thinking and refusal to be victimized by this man and victimized from a perceived norm of how women should behave in this kind of situation, I hope enlightens and educated the rest of us.  Here is Nicola Briggs on Jezebel speaking about her experience and providing tips and tricks on how to shut down a subway pervert.  Thanks Nicola!

How do you W.A.V.E.?

Self-defense education has always been something that women feel is "important" to do, but never get around to doing.

Perhaps you may think that you would never need it, or that you wouldn't be able to defend yourself if you ever were assaulted. Besides, who really wants to ever think about the possibility of this actually happening?

On the other hand, we think about it all the time. Do I walk down this street, or should I cross to walk down a better lit street? When I am getting in my car, do I take a peak to make sure no one else is in there? When I am at the park exercising, is someone following me? If I am dating a new guy or girl, will I be able to say no and feel safe? The list goes on! It may be conscious or not, but in reality we question our level of personal safety on a daily basis.
It is imperative to know that you have a right to keep yourself safe! You have a right and duty to know that you do not have to be a victim of an assault or gender-based crime.

Women's Anti-Violence Education (WAVE) is a program of Women in Transition, and is one program in the Philadelphia region that offers such an education.

What does a self-defense program offer? It teaches practical, supportive, empowering safety, assertiveness and self-defense skills to women, girls and others targets for gender-based assault. WAVE programs are based on the practice of mindfulness, or being fully aware. WAVE programs build the external awareness required to avoid and to defend ourselves against assault, the internal awareness enabling us to tune into our own intuition, or “early warning system,” and awareness of the contribution we each can make toward creating safer, more peaceful communities. WAVE combines the spiritual centering, discipline, power and exhilaration of many self-defense arts with the practical skills and attitudes needed today for survival, personal safety and peace of mind.

Why self defense and assertiveness training? Studies show that self-defense training improves the mental, emotional and physical health of participants. When the instructor’s attitude is peaceful and positive, rather than militaristic and negative, the training imparts newfound confidence and determination to protect one’s own personal safety, while also promoting respect for others. WAVE programs reinforce participants’ self-esteem while teaching how to avoid, deter, de-escalate, escape from, resist, and above all, survive assaults. The most concrete result is that participants in WAVE programs are less likely to be victimized. Participants in the full-length training develop a sense of confidence beyond mere “self-defense” skills.

The WCC will be offering self-defense and assertiveness training programs. Please check back or contact us for more details as they become available.

For more information about W.A.V.E. and Women in Transition please visit their website or contact Debasri Ghosh at 215-564-5301 x122