Lessons in self-defence for young adults
In Delhi, and even elsewhere across the country, it’s unfortunate that young girls have to fear walking home from school or college, or even walking to a corner store,” says DRR Ashima Agarwal, RI District 3011. “And so we felt, if we can provide them with some basic knowledge of self-defence, it could go a long way in helping them to protect themselves when the need arises,” she adds, talking about Project Nidar — No More Fear, an RI District 3011 Rotaract’s initiative to enhance the skill and ability of young boys and girls to overcome challenging situations and defend themselves against sexual assault, harassment or abduction.
“Although we women match steps with our male counterparts in many areas, when it comes to dealing with assault, most of us are clueless. We need to learn the basic skills to protect ourselves, rather than wait for a Prince Charming to rush to our aid to protect us. But in fact, today, even a Prince Charming needs to be equipped with self-defence skills,” she quips.
The programme encompasses 20 lessons spread over ten days, teaching girls and boys to be aware of their surroundings and trust their instincts, and learning different self-defence strategies to handle crisis. D 3011 has partnered with the Delhi Police to conduct this workshop and aims to train over 10,000 young adults through the project.
“Lectures do not help, nor can any workshop teach you self-defence technique in a day,” she says. So, a well-planned curriculum has been designed in consultation with the Police.
In the first batch 70 girls have completed the 10-day training programme held at the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW) and they were given course certificates by the Delhi Police and RI District 3011.
