Workshop Menu

This introductory physical self-defense training will teach you fundamental blocks and strikes to get away safely. You will learn practical ways to manage distance while using footwork and complete exercises and drills to improve your muscle memory when responding to sudden physical attacks.

The curriculum can be executed in a 2-hour introductory format or in a two part format. For the latter, participants must complete part 1 before advancing to part 2.

You will learn:

-Self-defense circle

-Levels of danger and threat

-Situational Awareness

-Safety stance

-Distance and footwork

-Fundamental blocks and strikes

-Use of common objects

-Aftercare

This two-part self-defense training is for adults who want to learn nonviolent communication (NVC) and de-escalation strategies, particularly when addressing violence and tension in the home. You will have an opportunity to examine common communication practices that fuel conflict across power dynamics.

Part 1 will focus on verbal strategies and considerations. Part 2 will offer strategies in case the situation escalates to a physical altercation. Participants must complete part 1 before advancing to part 2.

You will learn:

Part 1: Staying Safer: Decreasing Tension in Our Homes

-Self-defense circle

-NVC tools and scenarios

-Levels of danger and threat

-De-escalation strategies and scenarios

-Boundary setting

-Safety stance

-Aftercare

Part 2: Staying Safer: Addressing Violence in our Homes

-Self Defense Circle, Review of Part 1

-Situational awareness

-Fundamental blocks and strikes

-Primary and secondary targets

-Everyday objects for self-defense

-Aftercare

This series, which includes both discussion and physical practice, focuses on sexual violence and the different ways it impacts our lives. It explores boundary setting, consent, healthy/unhealthy relationship dynamics, and avenues for domestic violence support while also covering essential physical skills for potentially life threatening situations. The goal is to empower participants to combat sexual violence in the multitude of ways it shows up in our current society.

This workshop is usually a 3 part series but it can be customized to a different format. You can register for one session or the entire series.

You will learn:

Part 1: Awareness & Prevention

-Self-defense circle & definition of sexual harassment

-Levels of danger and threat

-Situational awareness

-Footwork and distance

-Verbal and non-verbal assertiveness strategies

-Safety stance

-Use of common objects

Part 2: Consent & Boundaries

-Verbal and non-verbal assertiveness strategies

-Dynamics of unhealthy and abusive relationships

-Boundary setting

-Consent (24 hour “NO”)

-Fundamental blocks and strikes

-Physical techniques to respond to grabs and hairpulls

-Aftercare

Part 3: “Red Zone” Situations, Domestic Violence & Intimate Partner Violence

-Recap of Part 2

-Physical techniques to respond to chokes

-Dynamics of power and control

-Safety plans

-Aftercare

This training will teach adults Upstander tools to help disrupt scapegoating and xenophobic acts and rhetoric. You will also practice physical self-defense techniques, including fundamental blocks and strikes, to get away safely.

This workshop can be tailored to different audiences. Past workshops have focused on the legacy and recent surge of anti-Asian hate violence as well as the history of anti-Semitism in the United States and the ongoing attacks targeting Jewish people.

You will learn:

-Active bystander intervention strategies

-De-escalation techniques

-Safety stance

-Fundamental blocks and strikes

-Aftercare

This training will help adults recognize the continuum of stress, which has the potential to result in crisis and violence. You will examine how intersectional identities -- including gender, race, and body size -- shape how you de-escalate situations. Through scenarios and role playing, you will practice setting clear boundaries and using concrete de-escalation skills at your own pace and comfort level.

There is an option to include physical techniques.

You will learn:

-Self-defense circle

-Levels of danger and threat and signs of agitation

-De-escalation techniques

-Practice scenarios

-Safety stance

-Aftercare

If including physical techniques, you will learn:

-Distance and footwork

-Fundamental blocks

-Everyday objects for self-defense

This workshop addresses concerns around confrontations involving weapons. We will talk openly about the reality of these situations, distinguish between a threat versus an attack, and review basic skills and considerations for survival.

You will learn:

-Self defense circle

-Levels of danger

-Threat versus attack

-Safety stance & movement

-De-escalation & communication considerations

-Blocks & deflections

-Defensive strikes

-Considerations for defense against blades

-Considerations for defense against firearms

Public transit is an essential part of many of our lives. This curriculum includes verbal de-escalation strategies as well as physical techniques to help you get away safely and help others stay safe.

There are five workshops in this series. These can be taken individually or as a series.

-Introduction to Public Transit Safety

-Calm Commutes: De-escalation on Public Transit

-While You Wait: Addressing Violence at Subway Stations & Bus Stops

-Next Stop: Handling Conflict During Your Ride

-NY State of Mind: Upstander Perspectives on Public Transit Safety

This workshop is for adults who want to learn interpersonal tools to more safely intervene in violence against others. The curriculum will address specific issues and scenarios at the intersections of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia.

You will practice active bystander intervention techniques that center the needs of the person(s) being targeted, with the ultimate goal of preventing, disrupting, and helping heal from hate, harassment, and violence.

You will learn:

-How power and oppression connect to violence

-Active bystander intervention strategies

-Tools for managing safety

-Aftercare

Research shows that having no community response to hate violence is interpreted as acceptance by the perpetrators, the public and — worse — targeted communities. Communities across the U.S. continue to utilize creative strategies to disrupt and prevent violence, while supporting the healing of impacted community members.

We will explore the range of possibilities for small or large community action to interrupt oppression institutionally and interpersonally while leading with dignity, compassion, and love. We will examine our strengths, relationships, and resources, and how we can apply them towards building beloved communities.

You will learn:

-How to “imagine otherwise” toward building beloved communities

-Restorative frameworks for navigating conflict

-Definitions of different types of power

-Resource and relationship mapping tools and strategies

This workshop is recommended for adults who have previously attended Upstander or De-escalation workshops, either with CAE or another community partner.

This training is for adults who want to learn communication strategies to disrupt microaggressions in the workplace and beyond. You will examine the oppressive legacies that undergird microaggressions and practice calling-in strategies to interrupt them, with the goal of shifting workplace culture.

You will learn:

-The four levels of oppression and positionality

-A mindset for intervening in microaggressions

-Calling-in strategies

-Aftercare

Gender based violence and sexual violence are tools for oppression, power and control. In this workshop we will discuss the wide ranging impacts within our communities. Participants in this interactive workshop will learn to apply active bystander intervention strategies to disrupt real life scenarios of gender based violence and sexual violence. We will discuss consent and how we can create a culture where we respect people’s boundaries, and offer concrete tools to intervene and prevent gender based violence and sexual violence in our everyday lives - from the subway, to the sidewalk.

You will learn:

-Definitions of consent

-3 stages of boundary setting

-Active bystander intervention strategies

-An accountability framework

-Aftercare

In the first two months of 2023, there are already over 300 bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights. In this workshop, participants will learn more about the history of queer and trans people - both their joy and their continued resistance in the face of targeted violence, from the Stonewall Riots to the Stonewall Protests. There will be interactive discussions around the differences between gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality, and the roots of transphobic oppression.

Tools and strategies for intervening as an upstander and de-escalating conflict will be explored by participants, in order to disrupt real life scenarios of homophobic and transphobic violence.

You will learn:

-LGBTQ+ History

-Root causes of transphobia

-Active bystander intervention strategies

-Aftercare

This workshop addresses the ways that xenophobia and scapegoating since the COVID-19 outbreak continue against Asian communities. Workshop participants will look at the dangerous history of xenophobia in the United States against a cross-section of groups, and the ways that current public narratives and interpersonal acts are making living through the pandemic even scarier and more dangerous for Asian Americans. There will be opportunities for participants to explore opportunities and strategies to be “Upstanders” and help disrupt anti-Asian bias, whether in-person or online.

You will learn:

-Examples of xenophobia across U.S. history

-Active bystander intervention strategies

-De-escalation techniques

-Aftercare

At the Center for Anti-Violence Education, we believe that there are opportunities to build towards communities of care before, during, and after hate violence takes place. When it comes to our friends and families, speaking up against interpersonal violence & harm or oppressive ideologies can be challenging and complex. When sitting across the table from someone, perhaps sharing space, food, or traditions with beloved ones -- how do we intervene? In this workshop, you'll co-create strategies of care and safety for yourself and for others. You'll explore the connections between oppressive ideologies, and how they show up in our institutions and relationships. You'll learn tools and strategies to create systems of support, and intervene when microaggressions occur.

You will learn:

- The four levels of oppression and positionality

- A holistic safety framework

- Boundary setting

- Calling-in strategies

- Aftercare

In this introductory physical self defense training, young people will learn empowering ways to tap into their voices and bodies to stay safe. It will cover how to manage physical distance and use footwork as well as strikes and blocks.

You will learn:

-Self-defense circle

-Milling (situational awareness)

-Voice work

-Safety stance

-Distance, footwork, blocks, and strikes

-Aftercare

This training will teach young people an array of interpersonal tools to identify and disrupt instances of xenophobia and anti-Blackness. It will cover safe intervention strategies and focus on how to center the needs of the person(s) being targeted.

You will learn:

-The difference between being a bystander and an Upstander

-The definitions of xenophobia and anti-Blackness

-The role of media and social media in promoting prejudice

-Active bystander intervention strategies

-Aftercare

This training will teach young people what consent is and how it applies across a range of relationships. It includes role-playing and breakout groups to unpack scenarios.

The curriculum can be expanded to discuss elements of a healthy relationship.

You will learn:

-Elements of a healthy relationship

-The definition of consent

-How consent is freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific

-Role-play and scenarios

-Aftercare

In this workshop, participants will investigate foundational considerations for safe, consensual sexual exploration as well as verbal skills for recognizing and combating sexual & gender-based violence in our daily lives. This workshop is interactive, offering educational resources while offering a space to develop practices for sexual encounters that honor the agency and safety of all involved parties.

We should live in a world where everyone’s autonomy is seen and respected. While it is never your fault if someone brings violence into your life, we want you to feel as empowered as possible to maintain your own sense of autonomy. In this workshop, participants will learn to apply physical self defense skills within intimate and sexual contexts. They will be given the opportunity to practice these skills in a safe, controlled environment.

While sexual intimacy is often viewed as a private matter, part of maintaining healthy dynamics often necessitates other supportive relationships. In this workshop, participants will explore signs of unhealthy relationships and abuse as well as strategies to support someone you know who is navigating an unhealthy partnership. Participants will also explore how gender-based and sexual violence impacts our communities and ways to get involved in actively changing that.