Defend Yourself

More safety, more confidence, more freedom, more fun!

Based in Washington, DC, serving the entire U.S.

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Girl Scouts

GirlScoutsAttention Girl Scouts

Defend Yourself can help you be safer + more confident!

Defend Yourself supports the Girl Scouts in their mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character. We want to join you in making the world a better place that’s safer for everyone.

Defend Yourself has experience equipping kids, teens, and young adults with skills to stop harassment, abuse, and assault, from verbal strategies to physical techniques. No matter your age or ability, you can take steps right now to feel safer and stronger.

Defend Yourself has worked with dozens of Girl Scout troops to empower girls to stay safe. We believe in a life of more confidence, more safety, more freedom, and more fun!

We want you to thrive as a Girl Scout! We can help you meet the requirements for many patches and badges, including:

  • Safety Awards for all levels (Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors). Defend Yourself can help you stay safe at school, in your neighborhood, and online. We have lots of real-life safety skills to share.
  • Daisy Petals. Defend Yourself can take your Daisy troop’s safety knowledge to the next level and help them earn their petals, too!
  • Gold, Silver, or Bronze Awards. Empowerment self-defense workshops are a fantastic Gold, Silver, or Bronze Award project, and they have lasting impact. Defend Yourself has helped Girl Scouts earn their Gold Awards by sharing skills for stopping harassment, abuse, and assault in their communities.

Here’s what one Girl Scout had to say about working with Defend Yourself:

“I thought the workshop went really well, and I could tell the girls learned a lot about setting boundaries. I’m so excited for my Gold Award and I’m so happy that I incorporated Defend Yourself into my project!” — Girl Scout

Ready to learn more? Contact us to grow as a Girl Scout and gain skills you will use for the rest of your life!

Want to spread the word? Click here for a PDF of what we offer to share with your troop.

Girl Scouts in the "Pooh tree" at Camp Potomac Woods after a Defend Yourself workshop.
Girl Scouts in the “Pooh tree” at Camp Potomac Woods after a Defend Yourself workshop.

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Sign up now for the monthly newsletter and you’ll also get our e-book with stories of real-life people standing up to harassment, abuse, and assault!

Read our latest newsletter here

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Meet Lauren

Teacher, resister, advocate, warrior princess. Passionate about a world free of gender-based violence and people becoming their full selves. Loves chocolate, justice, and cats (not necessarily in that order).

Click here to find out more!

Classes for everyone

Defend Yourself has classes for everyone, no matter what your age or ability. Whether you're dealing with street harassment, going off to college, healing from abuse, or any other challenge, we offer skills you can use.

Click here to see some of what we offer!

National Street Harassment Hotline

Call toll-free: 855-897-5910
(English + Spanish. 24-7)
Find out more!

More safety, more confidence, more freedom, more fun!

Get our newsletter!

Sign up now for our monthly newsletter and you’ll also get our e-book with stories of real-life people standing up to harassment, abuse, and assault!

Read our latest newsletter here
 

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Learn something now

  • Run,Yell,Tell, Hit, + Go Along
  • My journey to assertiveness
  • Strategies for safety
  • Should I yell FIRE!?!?
  • #9 Making self-defense a part of your life
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What people say

This class was a springboard. Now I know where I need to go in the rest of my life.
Thank you for such an empowering, confidence-inspiring class. When you first announced that the class would teach both verbal and physical defense, I was a bit hesitant – I presumed I already knew how to verbally defend myself, and thought I was ready to get down to more hard core self-defense moves.
This class showed me that . . . I have every right to defend myself and take care of myself the best way I know how. My first responsibility is to myself.
I unfortunately had to use some tactics I learned from the workshop, as I was assaulted at the beach this summer. I honestly believe that I avoided a rape because of your training.
I wish other women/girls could experience THIS feeling of girrrrlpower, instead of listening to Cosmo and Glamour to tell them where their power lies.
This class exceeded my expectations! I looked forward to class and the chance to practice my skills. I enjoyed the supportive environment and the space to develop strategies for confronting harassment.
To my surprise, I found the verbal parts of the class the most beneficial. Instead of just preparing us for the chance of an all-out attack, we learned skills that have been helping me to navigate more assertively through everyday situations. You helped all of us to view self-defense holistically, and asked us to question our role in making this world less violent.
The teachers are nonjudgmental: they are not going to tell you that what you are doing is wrong.
Everybody needs this!
I feel more confident and like I can get through anything.
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Based in Washington, D.C., serving the world

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