My wife trains at and teaches at a Karate and Self-Defense Dojo dedicated to self-defense for women and LGBTQ individuals. Unless my wife is celebrating one of her many kata ceremonies, I am actually not allowed there! It is a protected and protective environment for women and LGBTQ. The Dojo is called the Center for Anti-Violence Education (a great name and great idea)!
From their website:
The Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE) develops and implements comprehensive violence prevention programs for individuals and organizations. Through a combination of education, physical empowerment, and leadership development, CAE provides underserved communities throughout the New York metropolitan area with skills to break cycles of violence.
I should emphasize that when there were a series of sexual assaults in Brooklyn, it was the Center for Anti-Violence Education that responded with free self-defense classes for ANY school or community center that wanted it. They have become the go-to people in NYC when women or LGBTQ are threatened. My wife is one of the self-defense trainers.
They are making new efforts to reach more and more communities, but they need more funds to cover their costs. From their most recent email:
Our series of free LGBTQ self-defense classes made it into the news! Watch this video! and check out all our clips in the CAE press room. Donate to CAE today and your gift will be matched! Every dollar helps us continue to provide free programming around the city.
CAE is proud to be empowering our community. If you’d like to attend one of our free LGBTQ self-defense classes happening this month, please click here for a schedule or to register (email).
And please support out work by helping us meet a $10,000 challenge grant. Click here to have your gift matched dollar for dollar. A $25 gift becomes a $50 gift! Donate by June 30 to help us reach this goal.
With your support we will continue our work across the city to end violence and to help keep us all safer, stronger and more resilient!
A video from a past year:
They rely on fundraising to help women and LGBTQ individuals get self-defense training even if they can't afford it. They will help ANY woman or LGBTQ individual regardless of means, which means they need our help to keep going. They just had their big annual fundraiser, their "Punch-a-thon" where they do 1000 punches to raise money. Both Joy and Jacob did all 1000 punches and have a fundraising site to help the Center for Anti-Violence Education.
Please join me in donating to Joy and Jacob's fundraising site to help women and LGBTQ folks fight against violence.
For NYC folks more info below...
I should note that one of the issues highlighted at their recent Punch-a-Thon was ENDING the "Stop and Frisk" program (a much cheered suggestion made by a black teen woman). There is only one candidate for mayor who wants to do this: John Liu, who is also a close friend of my family. All other candidates want to continue the Stop and Frisk program in some form. That said, I also should note that Christine Quinn has been one of the strongest supporters of CAE and deserves credit for that. I also should note that CAE takes no political stands here...all such comments are my own!
Center for Anti-violence Education classes:
http://caeny.org/...
Other antiviolence organizations:
http://caeny.org/...
Safety Tips for everyone:
http://caeny.org/...
And again, PLEASE give to support this amazing organization:
http://cae.dojiggy.com/...