The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

YWCA offers women’s self-defense class

Submitted information

The YWCA of Van Wert County will be offering a free one-night Personal Protection for Women class, 6-8 p.m. on Monday, October 17. The class is provided by the Van Wert Self Defense Team, which can be followed on Facebook by searching Van Wert Self Defense Team.

This class is designed to teach women how to avoid dangerous situations and what they should do when faced with an unavoidable, unsafe circumstances. Class participants will gain confidence, knowledge, and the skills to protect themselves in this hands-on program. Topics covered will include situation avoidance and prevention, self-defense, and improvised defense tools.

Van Wert County Sheriff's Deputy Ed Klausing teaches a woman about self-defense during a previous class. (VW independent file photo)
Van Wert County Sheriff’s Deputy Ed Klausing teaches a woman about self-defense during a previous class. (VW independent file photo)

Class instructors include Rick Busch and Ed Klausing. Busch is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do with 28 years’ of experience, including 22 years’ experience teaching martial arts, self-defense, and rape prevention classes and seminars. Klausing is a third-degree black belt and also has experience in teaching various martial arts.

Participants should be women and girls ages 13 and older and should wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing. Please pre-register by calling the YWCA at 419.238.6639.

According to the Department of Justice, one in five teenagers and young women have been a victim of some form of dating violence and almost 189,000 victims of sexual assault and rape annually.

This class will also be held in conjunction with The YWCA Week Without Violence™, which is a nationwide annual campaign that highlights practical, sustainable alternatives to violence in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. A grassroots initiative when it began in 1995, today the YWCA Week Without Violence™ is a global campaign involving women, men and children in hundreds of communities in the United States and in countries around the world.

For more information, contact Health and Wellness Coordinator J.J. McClain at 419.238.6639.  The YWCA is a non-profit organization and a United Way Agency.

POSTED: 09/27/16 at 7:30 am. FILED UNDER: News