Our Courses
We believe that empowerment self-defence instruction should be freely available, so we work with multiple government departments and private funders to bring to you fully funded courses.
Girls’ Courses
The Girls Self Defence Project offers courses in schools for girls, including transgender/takatāpui, of three age groups: Years 3 and 4 (five hours), Years 7 and 8 (five or eight hours), and Years 10 to 13 (five hours). Other age groups may be included if necessary, such as incorporating Year 6 girls in a Year 7–8 course in a small school.
Usually, these courses are organised in partnership with a school and held in a school space but they may also be arranged with community groups. The required group size is from 14–26.
The programmes cover basic physical techniques; reinforce assertiveness, boundary-setting skills and verbal techniques; and offer age-appropriate information about issues of abuse.
Games to practise and reinforce the effectiveness of skills are included throughout the courses.
To apply for these courses, contact our administration team to be introduced to your nearest self-defence teacher.
Women’s Courses
A range of courses is available for women, including transgender/takatāpui, which can be tailor made to each group’s needs. These programmes are designed to empower women with the knowledge, attitudes, skills and strategies to effectively prevent and resist violence (including sexual and family violence), and to positively change disempowering societal attitudes which lead to violence.
These courses are for women who are:
- Culturally isolated, including migrant and refugee women
- Rural wāhine Māori and tau iwi (including migrants)
- Abuse survivors and isolated by a culture of violence
- Isolated by disability and/or mental health issues
These courses are designed for women 16 years of age and older and should have a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 26 participants (lower numbers may be applicable for some groups, e.g. women with disabilities). The courses are 5–8 hours long, are run in partnership with a local community organisation working with one of the groups above, and are held in community venues such as schools, community centres and marae.
To apply for these courses, contact our administration team to be introduced to your nearest self-defence teacher.
Workplace / Private Courses
If none of these categories apply to you, our trained self-defence teachers are available to create a private course for you, or your community.
Private courses may also be arranged, for example in a workplace, for a sports or community group, for mother and daughter groups or simply for a group of friends or whānau. The choices are endless, and the course can be tailored to suit your needs. Group size, content, cost and venue are negotiated with your teacher.
To arrange a course, to find out about teachers in your area, or to enquire about local courses open to the public, contact our administration team
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