Presenters: Carrie Benson, Michele Montag, Lisa Nakamura

Self defensehas a complicated history as a tool for sexual violence prevention. Classes designed to keep participants “safe” often do so by reinforcing a masculine-dominated power structure and result in re-traumatization and a sense of victim-blaming. However, Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) grew out of the Feminist Movement as a tool for breaking down systemic structures that define some people as strong and capable of defending, while others need to be defended. The ESD model is grounded in academic research and focuses on increasing confidence and assertiveness in one’s voice and body, understanding the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy behaviors and relationships, and learning to define and set boundaries. Recent research has shown that college-age women who complete an ESD course are almost 50% less likely to experience sexual assault within a year following the course than peers who did not take the course. In this interactive session, we will provide an overview of campus sexual assault and a brief history of self defenseas a tool for addressing sexual assault. We’ll then discuss the primary characteristics that define ESD, instructors who teach ESD, and the research behind it as a successful intervention. We’ll take participants through brief exercises.. We’ll end by discussing students’ experience with ESD at Pitt and ways to collaborate using ESD in academic and co-curricular contexts.

Register

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at diversity@pitt.edu by July 21

This workshop is a part of the 2021 Diversity Forum.