What do students say?

“In this course, you will learn how to stand up for yourself, put up clear boundaries, be more confident, improve our everyday relationships, and have more fun in life, even. The course really preps you to walk out into the world, knowing you have the tools you will need to be safe and confident in yourself for a long time to come.” – Jenny

“[This course] will teach you how to verbally defend yourself. [It will] teach you self-confidence even if you already have it. You’ll learn how to be empowered and how to say no. For me I thought all of these things were something I knew and had but this class brought me to new heights. The first few weeks were challenging because I wasn’t interested in acting out scenarios but eventually one of those scenarios helped me defend someone else. After that I was all in. The scenarios became enjoyable to practice and helped embed strategies in my head. There’s no way you won’t gain something from this class. It was all I expected and more.” – Sheriden
 

“You will learn things like, how to identify predatory behavior, learn about how to make boundaries, learn how to say no and confront people without feeling rude, learn how gender roles play a part in how we interact with people, ways to prevent miscommunication and have hard conversations with people close to you and ways to deal with strangers that are exhibiting predatory behavior. The most important thing I gained from this course was a higher level of awareness.” – Madison

“It is difficult not to get emotions invested because of how powerful and real this subject is. I have learned over the course of this class that fear is one of my biggest enemies and that there is such a thing as unhealthy fear that I have been working on. I am thankful for this course for not only teaching me about women’s self-defense, but about who I am as a person and all that I am capable of!” – Brittney

Video testimonials:

PRESS

“Training to empower: The University of Oregon’s women’s self-defense class teaches women confidence and strength through its empowerment-based curriculum” by Lauren Brown in Ethos Magazine, Spring 2021

“Member Spotlight: Rose O’Reilly-Hoisington” from the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation Newsletter, March 2021

 “‘Empowerment Self-Defense’ Programs Make Women Safer. Why Don’t More Colleges Use Them?” by Sarah Brown in The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 19, 2019