In March and April, staff from the Portland Office of Violence Prevention – including Rose City Self-Defense and the Safe Blocks Program – provided personal and community safety trainings to more than 700 students at David Douglas High School. The trainings, offered during freshman health classes and including English Language learners, taught life skills on how to be assertive, set boundaries, use intuition, de-escalate, and escape when safety is at risk.
Following the trainings, many students provided feedback to City staff on how to help make their communities feel safer, including mapping areas of concern, safe areas, and favorite places within the district, and identifying activities that would keep them engaged over the summer, including how to cook and prepare meals, build workforce skills, and develop general life skills.
