Empowerment Self Defense: Community, Self-Defense & Collective Healing
Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) is a trauma-informed approach to self-defense. Empowerment Self-Defense aims to empower and give individuals the power to choose how to respond to dangerous situations without judgment or victim-blaming. It empowers individuals to be in command of their minds, body, and spirit. It teaches that we are allowed to live our lives boldly and freely without fear.
These courses are open to everyone!
Empowerment Self Defense- Community, Self Defense and Collective Healing
April 23rd 6:00-8:00 PM: Tailored to Undergraduate and Graduate Students (however all are welcome to attend)
To RSVP for April 23rd Register HERE
April 24th 3:00-5:00 PM: Tailored to Staff, Faculty and Graduates (however all are welcome to attend)
To RSVP for April 24th register HERE
Presented by Soul Warriors: Facilitator Bio's
Michelle Pereira is a lover of all bodies of water (and all nature elements), a cat whisperer (dogs aren’t too far off), randomly curious, a wounded healer, proud Centro Americana, a bibliophile, Queer, and a Tia or Aunt (her favorite).
Professionally, she/they has worked in the social services field for more than 15 years as an advocate and therapist. She currently holds a role as a Clinical Supervisor/Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Santa Monica College and has a private practice providing individual therapy. She received her Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in community mental health from California State University, Long Beach and a Bachelor’s Degree with a Law & Society option from California State University, Los Angeles. She is also the founder of Soul Warriors Empowerment Self-Defense. Her journey in providing ESD started in 2018. She recognized the need for providing healing and prevention efforts through empowerment self-defense to the local community that consisted of BIPOC who were healing from intergenerational and systemic trauma. She is integrative in her work and aids in healing by also working with individuals through the use of crystals, chakras, and tarot cards.
MariaJose, Oliva A.K.A. Emjay (She/Her/Ella) Bio: Mariajose is a first-generation Chicana. She was born in Boyle Heights and raised in South Los Angeles. She received her B.A. from Cal State L.A. in Chicano Studies with a Minor in Women and Gender studies. She currently is a MFT Candidate at Mount St. Marys University. Her 10 plus years of experience working in communities of color has led her to become a Restorative Justice Coordinator. Mariajose believes that empowering vulnerable populations is a way of combating systems of power. Mariajose mentors and empowers through healing circles, self-defense workshops and leadership development.
What ESD and Sould Warriors are all about:
The training aims to build confidence, provides de-escalation practices, and leaves individuals feeling empowered. It integrates discussions of violence against women and is focused on acquaintance scenarios (including verbal resistance and other non-physical strategies) rather than focusing on "stranger danger." The emphasis of ESD is on awareness, assertiveness skills, and physical techniques.
Our training aims to build confidence and leaves individuals feeling empowered by connecting to themselves, and the world around them. Soul Warriors ESD emphasizes awareness, assertiveness skills, physical strategies, and empowerment self-defense as a form of self-care.
We utilize the five principles of ESD: Awareness, Voice, Escape, Fight and Tell to discuss how we can address situations and patterns of violence. We teach these skills through facilitated dialogue, games, and physical techniques.
What you will learn:
Each session is designed to highlight methods that can be used to diffuse a situation or create safe boundaries to avoid an assault. Every class receives a whole variety of options to use in any situation. It leaves each participant more empowered than they arrived with mental, verbal, and physical skills that are practical and easily remembered.
Class highlights:
- Understanding intuition
- Situational awareness
- Understanding the spectrum of violence
- Setting boundaries
- Using one's voice
- De-escalation techniques
- Creating a support pod for safety planning purposes
- Community building
- Trauma-Informed Practices
- Physical techniques customized explicitly to the attendee audience
