On March 12, Rose City Self-Defense (RCSD) held a graduation ceremony for 20 new volunteers and 125 guests at The Redd in Southeast Portland. The volunteers graduated after completing 40 hours of training to become empowerment self-defense instructors. Event highlights included an inspiring line-up of speakers, a slideshow of training photos, stirring calls to action from RCSD staff, and emotionally powerful testimonials. District 2 Councilor Sameer Kanal congratulated graduates and helped hand out certificates during the ceremony.
The attendees also heard updates from the Office of Violence Prevention and Safe Blocks Program, as well as data demonstrating the impact of the program's workshops. One interesting data point is that on pre-course evaluations, around 30% of participants of self-defense classes reported being survivors of violence, while post-course evaluations show more than 60% of participants identifying as survivors. This indicates that when participants take Rose City Self-Defense classes, they not only learn about boundary setting, consent, self-defense, and advocating for themselves and others, but also to better identify abusive relationships in the first place. Many come to understand that they themselves are survivors of violence, while simultaneously learning to avoid this victimization and receiving trauma-informed support from staff.
Thank you to everyone who made this evening possible, and congratulations to our new volunteer self-defense instructors!