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News & Notes - April 2015
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Corinne Lagermasini,
WAVE Coordinator |
"No! Stop! Get Back!"
These are just a few of the words our students practice yelling during a WAVE safety and self-defense class. We yell to get attention, to surprise our assailant, and to make ourselves
powerful
. And it's fun. Self-defense is serious stuff, but at a WAVE class, we are committed to teaching students in a supportive, non-victim blaming, empowering environment.
Before I took my first self-defense class, the narrative running through my head was always "I really hope I never get attacked." Now I think, "If someone tries to hurt me, these are some things I can do." It was a powerful shift in thinking and it changed how I live my life. It also inspired me to approach WIT a few months ago to re-launch WAVE and to pass on that confidence and sense of personal power to our students.
Our goal is to empower students with confidence, skills and techniques to help avoid, prevent, resist, survive and heal from harassment, abuse and assault. We dispel myths about sexual assault and DV, and teach basic safety strategies, boundary setting, assertiveness skills and simple but powerful physical techniques - critical skills that students can use in every aspect of their lives.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The reality is that 1 in 6 women in America will be a victim of sexual assault in her lifetime. We believe that empowering women, girls, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals with an understanding of the social forces of violence, combined with skills to address that violence or its threat on a personal level, is a powerful and essential strategy in the work of ending sexual and gender-based violence against women.
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Center City Class
DATE: Wednesday, May 20th
TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
PLACE: First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia (2125 Chestnut St.)
COST: $20 (Sliding scale fee is available; call to discuss financial hardships)
West Philadelphia Class
DATE: Saturday, June 6th
TIME: 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
PLACE: Studio 34 Yoga Healing Arts (4522 Baltimore Ave.)
COST: $25 (Sliding scale fee is available; call to discuss financial hardships)
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WAVE offers customized safety and self-defense programs to both individuals and groups, including corporations, schools, nonprofits, and others as requested. Students of all skills, abilities, sizes and body types are strongly encouraged to participate in our classes.
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Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids, WIT-style!
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Last month, WIT held a family shopping event at the Payless Shoesource on 16th & Chestnut. Thanks to the generosity of the Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program, we were able to distribute gift cards to many of WIT's families for a free new pair of shoes! Below are some testimonials from the lively event:
- Thank you for the 2 twenty dollar gift cards. It [means] they will have shoes on Easter. Your organization is a great help to me as I try to help raise granddaughters.
- Thank you so much for the gift card!! I am so blessed to be able to receive the $20 because my son is in great need of a new pair of sneakers. He just got the hang of running and he will be able to run around in his new shoes!... What a great surprise. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
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April 25, 2015
Take It All Back & SPEAK OUT
WOAR hosts their 10th annual Take It All Back walk against sexual violence. After the walk, SPEAK OUT features survivors' stories, entertainment, and children's activities at the Independence Visitors' Center.
Learn more
April 23-25, 2015
Reasonable Fear
Touch Me Philly presents 9 short plays tackling street harassment, objectification and rape culture at the Luna Theater. Tickets available online.
May 2, 2015
Walk a Mile In Her Shoes
Laurel House hosts their 4th annual walk at Heebner Park in Worcester, PA.
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May 16, 2015
Morir Sonyando
The Power Street Theatre Company performs a powerful play about and against domestic violence at Fairhill Square Park. Free admission.
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In the News (and around the city!)
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Newly-hung signs declare Philadelphia, NYC 'no-catcall zones'
The Post and Courier wins Pulitzer Prize for domestic violence series
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Women Almost Twice as Likely as Men to Live in Poverty During Retirement
The Gigantic Cost of Domestic Violence: $8 Trillion a Year
China's Feminist Five: 'This is the worst crackdown on lawyers, activists and scholars in decades'
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