In September, the Employee Fitness Center introduced a self-defense class that has inspired and empowered women to feel safer in the world around them. The Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) program consists of self-defense models used to allow women to defend themselves in multiple scenarios and gives them the tools necessary to evaluate situations and protect themselves.
The R.A.D. class is a six-week program that not only teaches you how to defend yourself in various situations but also consists of a series of lectures on how to make your life safer.
The class is taught by experienced trainers, Courtnie Whaley and Ryan Howard.
“We are super excited to be reaching so many people through the R.A.D. program and how well it has impacted our first group of participants through self-empowerment, situational awareness, and desensitization of challenges on a real-life scale,” says Ryan Howard.
Toni Dural, RN Patient Safety Manager-CHA, registered for the first R.A.D class. She was impressed by the amount of knowledge and confidence she gained by taking part in the class.
“The skills and techniques that we learned were extremely easy and practical, and not something that I would have ever known to try before this class,” Toni said. “No one knows how they will react if they are ever presented with an alarming situation, but having this bank of knowledge to pull from definitely makes me feel like I may react differently than before. I look forward to refreshing and practicing my skills periodically in future classes!”
Lorraine Sieminski, Oncology RN Navigator/Program Coordinator, appreciated the expertise and patience of the instructors.
“I was so thankful to the EFC for offering the RAD class. I felt that the R.A.D. class was much needed in our area and that it is always better to be prepared than not,” said Lorraine. “Ryan and Courtnie were excellent instructors who were very patient and able to show the moves perfectly in scenarios. We never felt embarrassed or intimidated to ask a question or ask for them to show how a move is performed again.”
The R.A.D. class has received much interest and will be offered again in the future. If you are interested in receiving more information on future R.A.D. classes, click here.
RAD Class Q&A’s