IMPACT Boston blog

Make a Resolution this New Year: Take Your Power!

Do you have trouble standing up for yourself with people close to you?

Do you want to learn new skills to help you feel more powerful in your body?

Take IMPACT's Take Your Power class!

A group for women who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, or other abuse.  This class will focus on healthy relationships, healthy sexuality, and empowerment through self-defense.

Class will take place Mondays & Saturdays, 
January 7- March 18 in Boston

Mondays, 6pm-8:30pm: 1/7, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/4, 3/18

Saturdays, 10am-4pm: 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/16

For more information or to sign up call 781-321-3900 or email registration@impactboston.org.

This program is offered for a sliding scale fee of $25-$400. Scholarships and Victim’s Compensation is available.

Childcare is available - Please request childcare by 12/28.

Give the Gift of Safety!

 

“You’re not afraid when you walk alone at night?”

“You would really know what to do if someone attacked you?”

I get some version of this question almost every time someone asks about my work at IMPACT. People are surprised when I say that learning self-defense doesn’t take special athletic ability and that research consistently shows that it works. Too many of us are taught that we can’t protect ourselves, so it can be a revelation to realize how powerful we are.

My first reaction to these conversations is to feel lucky. I go through life with confidence because I’m not in denial about violence and I don’t make my life unnecessarily small to avoid it.

These conversations always strengthen my commitment to IMPACT. I don’t just want that feeling of confidence for myself, I want it for every person who has ever felt unsafe. That’s what you support when you invest in IMPACT: a world in which women, children, teens, people with disabilities, and homeless parents learn a proven set of skills that can literally save their lives. 

But IMPACT is more than just life-saving measures in worst-case scenarios. For every IMPACT graduate who fights off an attacker there are a hundred others who don’t let fear of violence limit their lives. They include a high school student with autism who now feels safe walking to school and a survivor of abuse who can finally sleep through the night because she no longer has nightmares of being attacked.

These daily differences add up. They show us time and again that violence is not inevitable and we can all do something to stop it. Last year we reached over 2000 people with life-changing and life-saving skills. With your help we can do even more in 2013. 

Whether your gift is $10 or $10,000, you play a crucial role in creating safety, healing and change. From all of us at IMPACT I wish you a safe and peaceful new year.

 

Position Annoucement: Suited Self-Defense Instructors

 

SUITED SELF-DEFENSE INSTRUCTOR NEEDED FOR IMPACT, A FULL-CONTACT, TRAUMA-INFORMED SELF-DEFENSE ORGANIAZATION

 

Variable Schedule, Weekday Day Time Availability Preferred

 

Since 1987 IMPACT Boston has been a leader in personal safety and self-defense training.  Our curriculum presents students with realistic scenarios of threat, intimidation and imminent danger.  Through repeated practice of fighting full-force in an adrenalized state, students learn to respond effectively to dangerous situations.  Additionally, our organizational philosophy emphasizes abuse prevention, healing, empowerment, awareness and sensitivity to students' histories of trauma. 

 

IMPACT teaches women, men, children, and teens and has created customized programs for numerous groups including people with disabilities, abuse survivors and students in urban and rural schools. Research on graduates of IMPACT shows that the training reduces symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in survivors of child abuse and domestic violence and that it increases students' self-efficacy and self-confidence in many areas of life, not just self-defense.  

                       

IMPACT is hiring suited instructors to teach self-defense classes as part of a mixed gendered teaching team.  In IMPACT’s training model, suited instructors play a unique role that involves both teaching physical and verbal skills and playing the role of a perpetrator in simulated attack situations with students.  Suited instructors wear full body armor specifically designed for this training to ensure their safety in scenarios in which students defend themselves by striking as hard as they can.

 

We are looking for candidates with a strong commitment to preventing violence and the willingness to play these multiple roles.  No self-defense experience is necessary. Extensive paid training is provided.

 

Instructors are needed to work part-time on a varied schedule that includes weekday daytime hours and involves travel that is mostly within Eastern Massachusetts with occasional trips to Western Massachusetts and other New England states.  Travel time is compensated and overnight travel is rare. 

 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability and willingness to teach a physically demanding curriculum
• Excellent physical condition—experience in martial arts or contact sports is preferred
• Ability and willingness to provide support to students through a training process that is at times difficult and emotionally charged
• Ability and willingness to play the role of a perpetrator in simulated attack scenarios
• Some experience with teaching, counseling, martial arts, athletics, youth development, work with trauma survivors, criminal justice, or personal safety
• Competency or Fluency in Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Portuguese is a plus
• Experience working with people with physical and intellectual disabilities is a plus
• Reliable access to a car and cell phone

• Availability during weekday daytime hours
• Reliability
• Availability to receive and respond to phone calls and emails during business hours

 

 

Send Resume and letter of interest to

Meg Stone

Director

IMPACT

420 Pearl Street

Malden, MA 02148

Or email to mstone@impactboston.org

 

For additional information please call 781.321.3900 or email mstone@impactboston.org

 

 

 

 

Fearless Flirting: A Positive Consequence of IMPACT Training

Two summers ago I was at a bar with a friend. Right around the time I was getting tired and ready to leave, he started a conversation with a cute guy who had a nice smile and a good sense of humor. This complicated my decision to go home. My friend was definitely not drunk to the point of concern, but he wasn’t sober either.

During a break in their conversation, when the cute guy in question was out of earshot, I reminded my friend to get his own drinks, beware of date rape drugs and watch his level of intoxication. I asked if he felt sober enough to communicate his boundaries and protect himself if the guy made any unwanted advances. He assured me he was fine. “See look,” he said. “I can do the eye strike. But I don’t think I’ll need to.” He showed me the technique as he’d learned it in his IMPACT Basics class. Satisfied, I left.

On my way home I questioned myself. Someone I care about meets a new guy and the first thing that comes to my mind is date rape? Maybe it’s a hazard of the work I do. I get emails about drug- and alcohol- facilitated rapes about once a week. Unlike many people, I can’t avoid reminders of how common sexual violence is. I know that according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health 26% of gay men and lesbians and 37% of bisexual people have experienced sexual assault, mostly perpetrated by people they know.

The more I thought about my reaction, though, the better I felt about it. I responsibly assessed my friend’s level of sobriety. I didn’t stay out later than I wanted, nor did I insist that my friend leave before he was ready. I acknowledged and accepted the possibility of violence based on statistically accurate information and I made sure my friend was capable of protecting himself before I left. Our conversation was not about violence. It was about safety.

This is what I love most about IMPACT. Having the skills to defend myself and knowing that the people I love also have these skills means I don’t have to live in denial AND I don’t have to make my life unnecessarily small in order to stay safe. I don’t accept a world in which those are my only two choices. I choose instead to walk down a city street at one in the morning enjoying my solitude, the warm summer air, and the sound of dance music spilling out of bars and clubs. My friend chooses good conversation, flirtation, and the excitement of meeting someone new.

I am committed to IMPACT because those are the choices I want for everyone.

Boundaries: Important Lessons from a Two Year Old

By Meg Stone, Director

Last summer my family was on vacation. We were walking around a small resort town when my two-year-old niece Annabel heard a band playing at a local restaurant and wanted to know where the music was coming from. There was a high fence around the outdoor patio and she couldn't see the musicians. I immediately picked her up, hoping to put her on my shoulders so she could see. "NO!" she yelled. And loud.

 

I promptly put her down. My sister reminded her to politely say "no thank you" instead of screaming. I'm not a parent so I defer to my sisters about the importance of teaching kids how to communicate their needs respectfully. But I am a self-defense instructor and seeing how quickly Annabel knew what didn't feel right and how powerfully she yelled "NO" gave me great joy.

 

In watching my nieces grow up the thing that amazes me most is how clear they are about their boundaries. Even when they struggled to walk, speak in complete sentences, and put on their shoes, the children in my life have always had a sophisticated understanding of what feels safe and comfortable and what doesn't. They know who they want to pick them up and who they don't, when they want to sit on someone's lap and when they'd rather run around. 

 

As an adult in their lives, I have made a strong commitment to respecting their physical boundaries. I don't hug them when they say "no," no matter how adorable they are. Teaching kids that their physical boundaries matter is so important to me because so many people over the age of two have lost that intuitive sense of what feels right. Either that or they know when something doesn't feel right but have been taught that communicating their boundaries is impolite or unsafe.

 

At IMPACT we are committed to helping children, teens and adults identify their boundaries. We also teach a wide range of communication skills to help people express their needs in ways that are respectful, clear, and effective. Setting boundaries is an important way to learn about the people around us. The more people respect our boundaries, the more trustworthy they are. 

IMPACT is hiring part-time instructors!

Are you interested in teaching trauma-informed, social change-oriented self-defense?

At IMPACT Boston, our organizational approach focuses on teaching personal safety and self-defense in a way that supports body-oriented healing and overall wellness. Our organizational philosophy emphasizes social change, abuse prevention, healing, empowerment, awareness and sensitivity to students' histories of trauma. We help people develop confidence and the ability to communicate and advocate for themselves effectively when they feel fear. Through repeated practice of fighting full-force in an adrenalized state, students learn to respond effectively to realistic situations of threat, intimidation and imminent danger.

IMPACT teaches classes for students of all ages and genders and has created customized programs for people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, LGBTQ people, homeless parents, abuse survivors, and students in urban and rural schools. Classes are generally taught by a multi-gendered team. Women instructors teach physical and verbal skills and provide emotional support to students as they learn techniques. They co-teach with suited instructors wearing full body armor specifically designed for full-force training who play realistic perpetrators.

IMPACT is hiring women or people of other genders who can effectively model self-defense for women and girls. We are seeking individuals who can connect effectively with students of varying age, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and ability. IMPACT instructors work part-time on a varying schedule that includes weekday daytime hours and involves travel within Eastern Massachusetts.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability and willingness to teach a physically demanding curriculum
• Ability and willingness to provide support to students through a training process that is at times difficult and emotionally charged
• Ability and willingness to participate in an extensive training process to become qualified to teach IMPACT (all training time is paid)
• Ability and willingness to manage your own emotional responses to students and the material taught
• Experience with teaching, counseling, martial arts, work with trauma survivors, fitness or movement instruction, yoga instruction, or criminal justice

• Familiarity working with abuse/violence survivors, homeless parents, people with disabilities, and/or teens
• Reliability
• Availability to receive and respond to phone calls and emails during business hours
• Some availability during weekday daytime hours a plus
• Fluency or competency in Spanish a plus (IMPACT offers bonus pay for bilingual classes)

By April 1, send Resume and letter of interest to       

Meg Stone, IMPACT Program Director                             

420 Pearl Street Malden, MA 02148

email to manager@impactboston.com or call 781.321.3900 for more info

 

A woman Defends Herself Successfully, but News Reports Focus much more on the Attack

Yesterday morning, a woman walking her dog around Jamaica Pond successfully defended herself by using her voice and shining a flashlight in the would-be assailant's face. In response to her actions, the assailant fled, but not before she got a physical description, which she gave to the police.

 

This is clearly a story of self-defense, but all the news coverage I've seen of the event highlights the assault perpetrated against her with much less focus on the steps she took to protect herself and prevent serious injury.

 

From the Jamaica Plain Gazette to CBS local news to New England Cable News, the headlines have universally read, "Woman Attacked" with no mention of what she did in response. The New England Cable News Piece even includes a Jamaica Plain resident declaring that she will think twice before going anywhere alone. It concerns me when fear of violence causes people to limit their lives unnecessarily.

 

Sources ranging from IMPACT graduate success stories to the National Crime Victimization Survey consistently show that forceful physical and verbal resistance are effective at stopping attempted physical and sexual assaults. Yet stories of effective self-protective action are so often buried in media reports, as they are in the news coverage of this event.

 

Here at IMPACT we continue working to change the conversation about self-defense until people understand that protecting ourselves from attempted assaults is possible, effective, and common.

 

Meg Stone

Director  

Your Gift Helps IMPACT Create the Opposite of the Events at Penn State

Are you as distressed as I am about the events at Penn State?

It’s hard not to be when we hear not only about widespread abuse but also about people in leadership who witnessed acts of violence and did nothing to stop them.  

Instead of losing hope, I invite you to imagine the opposite of what happened at Penn State, Syracuse University, in group homes for people with disabilities in New York State and countless other places that haven’t made the news.

Seeing what it takes to cover up an act of abuse tells us just as much about what it takes to prevent it. There’s no easy answer to what that is but here are some important characteristics of safe and healthy communities: 

• Children and teens have the skills to protect their safety and the full support of adults when they speak up about potentially violent situations.

 

• Those responsible for the care and support of children and people with disabilities have the skills and confidence to interrupt acts of abuse.

 

• Leaders fulfill their commitment to safety, even when that commitment requires them to take painful steps remove individuals who perpetrate from the organizations they serve. 

 

At IMPACT we don’t just imagine this. We create it every day. 

Every year we give nearly 2,000 people the tools they need to interrupt an act of violence. This year we launched IMPACT:Ability, a program that empowers people with disabilities and the organizations that serve them to prevent abuse.

Your generous support makes this possible. Whether your gift is $10 or $10,000, you play a crucial role in creating safety, healing and change. From all of us at IMPACT I wish you a safe and peaceful start to 2012.

Sincerely,

Meg Stone

Click here to make a secure, tax-deductible donation to IMPACT.

CALL YOUR MASSACHUSETTS REPRESENTATIVE: Help Keep IMPACT in Homeless Parents' Lives

HELP SAVE PROJECT SAFE!

For the last five years IMPACT has collaborated with HarborCOV and Homes for Families on an innovative program that gives homeless parents the tools to advocate for themselves in situations critical to their safety and stability.

  

Project SAFE trainers go into family homeless shelters and teach residents how to de-escalate conflicts, protect their physical safety, increase their economic literacy and tell their stories to elected officials. Project SAFE graduates are eligible for paid internships, and even in these difficult economic times, 80% of internship graduates are either employed or in school full time.

  

In the current financial climate, the Legislature is proposing budget cuts that could result in the elimination of these vital services.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Representative Aaron Michelwitz sponsored Amendment #317 that would restore funding for Project SAFE.

  

Call his office at 617-722-2400 to thank him for his support.

  

Call or Email Your State Representative and ask him or her to support Amendment #317.

  

Click here to find contact information if you know your Representative.

  

Don't know your representative? Click here.

  

Guest Blog from Alena Schaim, IMPACT New Mexico

Self-Sufficiency

 

The advice I got growing up about safety was to stay in groups and if anything happens, go to the nearest store for help.

 

This spring has brought out the hiker in me – and that hiker is at odds with the advice I received growing up.  I love to hike alone, and there clearly are no convenience stores nearby.  Since numerous students in our classes ask to prepare for the “hiking alone” scenario, it seems that many feel that hiking is taking a great risk.

 

But as I pass pleasant, quiet men and women walking alone with their happy-go-lucky dogs, I’ve been wondering why we were told to take precautions instead of go enjoy our alone time. 

 

Somehow, we have been taught that the unknown attendant in the gas station is better prepared to deal with the situation we’re facing than we ourselves are.  In truth, he probably has nothing more going for him than having access to a phone to call the police.

 

Who -really- is better able to defend me, than me? After all, others may not have any skills we do not have or cannot get.  Certainly, receiving help is wonderful and speaks well of the community around us – but there is no good reason to not become experts about our own safety.  There is no reason to not feel self-sufficient. 

 

Experts are available for two important reasons: things we cannot handle on our own, or to teach us how to handle things better for ourselves.  The more we use experts to teach us to be self-reliant, the fewer situations we will experience where we need an expert’s help for things we cannot handle.  Good safety experts don’t tell you what precautions to take; they empower you to be in charge of your own safety.