Mendocino County takes action: Self-defense course for youth starts in July

Below is a press release from CrossFit Firefly:

First 5 Mendocino and CrossFit Firefly with IMPACT Bay Area are proud to offer their first self-defense and situational awareness class for teen girls on July 29th and 30th from 1:00pm-6:00pm daily. This offering is in response to three teen girls who were attacked downtown in January 2024 and countless other incidents our community faces on a regular basis. Due to a lack of safety protocols in the area and an increase in crossing guards, we are motivated to help the community in the area of ​​self-defense and situational awareness. This class is generously supported by Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the VOCA Crime Victim Assistance Grant.

This first course is led by IMPACT’s highly trained instructors and is for all gender-identifying girls ages 12-17. Eight of the spots in this course are reserved for victims of crime. We will offer another course in early fall for boys ages 12-17. IMPACT’s highly trained instructors focus on preventing stranger and peer violence while empowering students to understand, respect, and defend their own boundaries. The course teaches participants realistic ways to deal with a variety of attacks while using their full strength to resist. This course also helps teens overcome their freeze response by simulating realistic attacks in a safe environment with the proper protective equipment and highly trained trainers.

The long-term vision is to teach situational awareness and self-defense to all ages and communities that would benefit from this valuable knowledge. As citizens, we cannot wait for our leadership to address the growing problems we face on a daily basis. We hope to engage the community and teach everyone excellent self-defense and appropriate response through Impact’s great trainers and programs.

For more information, please contact Tracy Thieriot at [email protected].