As more and more people are vaccinated and we “turn the spigot” as a State, The Safety Team is poised to resume our community-based Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) Workshops and our small group Therapeutic Empowerment Self-Defense (TESD) program! We will be updating our currently scheduled classes and formats based on CDC and Vermont State safety recommendations and guidelines.

Women’s Empowerment Self-Defense Workshops

Summer / Fall 2021 

• Level 1 – August 4th 6:00-8:30pm – Miller Center in Burlington.  
  Please visit the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department website to sign up.  
• Level 1 – September 29th – Shelburne Recreation Department.  
  Registration information coming soon!
• Level 2 – October 13th – Shelburne Recreation Department.  
  Registration information coming soon! 

Registration

Please go to our Workshop Registration page. All workshop fees are non-refundable and not transferable and all classes are LGBTQ friendly. 

NOTE: Once registered for any of our public workshops, we will send you our pre-workshop email about 1 week prior to the event with details about the location of our trainings and the content of our programs. In the meantime, please feel free to contact Eileen at Eileen@TheSafetyTeam.org, if you need more information about registration and payment.

Future Workshops

Not able to make a workshop? Please fill out the form HERE and we will let you know about our upcoming trainings. Thank you for your interest!

Workshop Descriptions

Level I Workshop: The 2.5-Hour Introductory Women’s Empowerment Self-Defense Program
This beginner workshop utilizes both large and small group instruction. By adhering to a 5:1 student-to-instructor ratio, The Safety Team’s trauma-informed trainings focus on boundary setting, affirmative consent, and relevant sexual assault information, as well as the mental and physical skills of Empowerment Self-Defense. The overarching goal of these large-group sessions is to help women discover their collective voice, address victim-blaming by redirecting the responsibility for all assaults on to the perpetrators, improve women’s sense of power and control, and, as a result, reduce the likelihood of sexual assault and violence.

Level II Workshop: The 2.5-Hour Intermediate Women’s Empowerment Self-Defense Program
This intermediate workshop takes Level I another step further, allowing for a brief review of knowledge, practice of acquired strikes, and instruction of additional basic self-defense techniques that deal with a variety of common situations and potential attacks.  The focus is on “hands-on” verbal and physical self-defense skills, techniques and strategies, which are presented to the group as a whole, but practiced in small groups of no more than four participants for each instructor. This format facilitates the learning of physical skills and allows for women to connect with one another. Throughout this class, important concepts are reinforced (affirmative consent, boundary setting, each person’s right to be safe). Level I is a prerequisite for Level II.

Level III Workshop: The 2.5-Hour Advanced Women’s Empowerment Self-Defense Program
Level III reviews the strikes learned in Level I and Level II, as well as the self-defense skills, techniques and strategies. In addition, students are given the opportunity to practice scenarios against members of The Safety Team and/or a padded male attacker, whichever may be more comfortable. All activities are at the discretion of the participant. Level I and II are prerequisites for this class. Women who participate in one or all three workshops report feeling more confident and ready to take on positive challenges, as they have discovered the power of their voice and the strength from within their bodies.

Previous Level I, II and III Workshops have been held at Maple Street Park, UVM Medical Center, Move You Fitness Studio, Martial Way Self-Defense Center, Northeast Association of Realtors, Middlebury College, Norwich University, Champlain College, Saint Michael’s College, Burlington Parks and Recreation Department,  Otter Creek Awnings, Visiting Nurse Association, and The Sports and Fitness Edge, to name a few.

Instructors

Christine DiBlasio, Ph.D.
4th Degree Black Belt, Kempo-Jujitsu, Psychologist

Darcy Richardson-Miller, M.S.
2nd Degree Black Belt in Kempo-Jujitsu, Black Belt, Arnis, Forensic Toxicologist 

Nancy Keller, M.Ed., C.A.S.
3rd Degree Black Belt, Kempo-Jujitsu, 2nd Degree Purple Belt, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Educator

Hillary Boucher
1st Degree Black Belt, Kempo-Jujitsu, Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Forensic Chemist

Karen Chevalier
2nd Degree Black Belt, Kempo-Jujitsu, Police Officer

Christina Allard, P.T.
Brown Belt in Kempo-Jujitsu, Physical Therapist

Eileen Mann
1st Degree Brown Belt in Kempo-Jujitsu, Community Outreach Specialist

Naima Dennis
Blue Belt in Kempo-Jujitsu, Computer Programmer

Peg Rieley, MBA
Purple Belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate, Property Development