Confidence and empowerment are not often thought of as methods of defense, but they will serve as the primary mechanisms reinforced at a five-week sexual assault program.
Hillel is hosting the Sexual Assault Prevention Workshop, designed to teach as many as 30 students stronger communication and awareness skills as well as basic self-defense techniques.
Cheryl Cesta will be the instructor for the workshop. Cesta, an Athens resident, has a master’s degree in education and is certified by both the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation as well as the American Women’s Self Defense Association. She has been teaching personal safety for about 30 years.
The workshop is designed to provide participants with an overview of sexual assault and to teach them verbal responses to sexual assault. Participants will also be taught a variety of self-defense skills such as front and rear defenses, choke defenses and an introduction to gun and knife defenses.
Cesta said the skills that are taught at the workshops provide a sense of empowerment to the participants, particularly the section on verbal skills.
“I think it is the first time the students realize they have things they can do to protect themselves, and that provides that sense of empowerment,” Cesta said.
Hillel was able to put on the workshop after receiving a $500 grant earlier this year from the Hadassah Foundation.
The five-week program costs $1,500 to set up, said Lauren Goldberg, office administrator at Hillel. Several other groups provided support to allow the program to run, including the OU Women’s Center and the OU Survivor Advocacy Program.
“Our partners are indispensable and without them, we wouldn’t have reached our fundraising goal or attracted the requisite number of participants,” Goldberg said. “It’s a group effort to keep women safe on campus, and we feel we have true partners in this cause.”
Bri Adamson, a president of Jewish Women of Ohio and a junior studying public health and advocacy, said she hoped the project would create a safe environment for women to talk about sexual assault and learn important ways to prevent it.
“The topic of sexual assault prevention is one I have been able to study and focus on. I’ve also realized how prevalent it is on our own campus,” Adamson said. “The creators of this program realized we can help make a difference.”
ds834910@ohiou.edu
