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Features

  • In-Person Presentation
  • Training for Peer & Faculty Facilitation
  • Research Informed
  • Title IX & VAWA Compliant

Program Details

Students Fight Back was developed as an extension of the Girls Fight Back program, which was developed in 2001. Since then, we have been making preventing violence and fighting back an approachable topic for everyone and have visited hundreds of schools and reached over 1 million people worldwide. During our 75min + Q&A seminar, audiences will engage in these key components: Using your intuition, awareness tips, boundary setting, definition of consent, how to support a survivor, verbal de-escalation skills, how to be an active bystander and ally and the basics of physical self-defense using our Bad Ass Ballet techniques. Fighting back is not just physical and we consistently find that we use our verbal & awareness skills, not our physical ones, every single day. Fighting back or not is a choice, and with the skills and knowledge students take away from our program, we are giving them the choice to decide for themselves what is the best course of action in any given scenario. We don't want to avoid preparing for the possibility of violence by pretending that it doesn't exist. Our mission is to empower people with options so that they can LIVE their lives instead of limiting them. You are your own best protector, and you are worth fighting for.

Contact information

URL
http://www.studentsfightback.com
Street
6711 Katella Ave 2nd Floor, Cypress, CA
Postal code
90630
Email
gina@kirklandproductions.com
Contact name
Gina Kirkland

Details

Institution type
University / College (4 year), Community College (2 year), Graduate, Professional, Other
Age group
Traditional Age (18-24), Other
Audience
General Student Body, Freshmen / Incoming Students, Athletes, Greek, Other
Delivery method
In-Person Presentation, Training for Peer Facilitation, Training for Faculty Facilitation
Duration
Single Session
Topics
Alcohol and Sexual Assault, Awareness, Bystander Intervention, Consent, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Risk Reduction and Safety, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment
Session details
Single Session

Background

History

Students Fight Back was developed as an extension of the Girls Fight Back program, which was born in direct response to the June 2001 murder of a dynamic, athletic, and loved college student named Shannon McNamara.  After Shannon’s death, her friend and sorority sister, Erin Weed, realized the need for practical and empowering options for learning violence prevention and self-defense. Inspired by the way Shannon fought her attacker, Erin immersed herself in training with the best violence prevention experts and self-defense trainers in the world and, from this, developed the GFB seminar, combining core values, a fun and empowering attitude, and the best safety and self-defense methods available.  Girls Fight Back has expanded to include 2 new programs that are Title IX Compliant: Students Fight Back and Fight Back on Spring Break.

Theory of change

Students Fight Back believes that through personal safety education and learning the basic techniques of physical self-defense that we can create confident, powerful people who are ready to take control of their lives.  Research has shown that people who learn self-defense are less likely to use it because they are more likely to stand up for themselves verbally and they are more confident in other areas of their lives.   Our program covers a wide variety of subjects and teaches people how to handle themselves in a variety of situations.  Through our educational seminars, Students Fight Back gives our audiences the power of choice.  If anyone is ever faced with a sketchy situation after our seminar, they now have tools in their tool box for how they will respond.  Knowledge is power and we want to empower the masses.

Research informed

Erin Weed studied with violence prevention experts and world renowned self-defense instructors to create the core information for the program. With collaboration from professionals such as Gavin de Becker and Associates, government officials, local police departments and other experienced self-defense companies, Students Fight Back is constantly reevaluating our content to be relevant and accurate according to the latest information available.

Compliance

Violence Against Women Act

Students Fight back ensures compliance with the requirements of the VAWA by educating women on tools and techniques to maximize their personal safety and learn what to do in a worst case scenario.  Our program covers topics such as: awareness tools, bystander intervention, verbal de-escalation strategies, resources, consent, alcohol & sexual assault, and physical self-defense strategies.  No one is ever responsible for a crime that was committed against them.  By giving students information and education on steps to be aware of their personal safety, techniques for conflict avoidance and finally, techniques on how to physically defend oneself, we are providing them with choices and options to fit their particular lifestyle.  Knowledge is the most powerful self-defense and personal safety tool.

Title IX

Students Fight Back is a gender inclusive program that has been presenting on college campuses since 2001. Our seminar emphasizes the importance of students working together to end the cycle of violence through bystander intervention and personal safety education.  Everyone should know how to protect themselves and this program focuses on teaching these skills and techniques in a fun, gender inclusive and empowering way.

Evaluation and Performance Assessments

Evidence based

We have had several past audience members reach out to us after a seminar to share with us how they used our techniques in a personal encounter of their own.  Some of those encounters were attempted assaults and these  people were able to fight their way to safety using the self-defense tools they learned.  The verbal skills & strategies that we teach in our seminar are used regularly by attendees in both their personal and work lives.  Our hope is that no one ever has to use the physical techniques, but if they do, we want people to have options of how to respond and then the knowledge of what to do if they choose to fight back.

Efficacy
Research conductor
Program

Features

Customization method
Welcome message, Policy information, Survivor support/resource information, Statistics, Police/reporting information, Other
Is data collected?
No
Is data personalized?
No

Logistics

Pricing model
Overall fee

Additional information

Prevention services
Faculty/staff training, Fraternity and sorority education

Program details are provided by the program vendor. RAINN does not verify all provided content and does not take responsibility for any incorrect information. If you see information that looks incorrect or inappropriate, please let us know.

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