Empower your group

Partner with us to hold a trauma-informed Empowerment Self Defence programme for your group

Register your interest

Partner with us

Hold a women’s self defence programme and build capacity to set boundaries, de-escalate conflict, resist violence, move through trauma, and thrive.

Meet needs

We’ll work together to understand group-wide and individual needs, accommodate individual sensitivities and leverage personal motivations.

See outcomes

  • Violence prevention

  • Increased self efficacy

  • Increased sense of safety

See it in action

Empowering, evidence-based, and trauma informed

Empowerment Self Defence is a set of methods and mindsets addressing the spectrum of violence which women face systemically.

Coupling these with proven techniques for working with trauma in movement, the programme creates a supportive space where women can connect to their bodies and build skills to thrive.

Enquire now

“Women's self defence training is the only prevention strategy with solid evidence of effectiveness at reducing rates of victimisation.”

Hollander, Jocelyn. (2018). Women's self‐defense and sexual assault resistance: The state of the field. Sociology Compass. 12. 10.1111/soc4.12597.

From participants

Sessions like the one we had today are really important because it’s a chance for women to realise they’re not alone with what they’re experiencing.

— December 2024

I found the holding provided by Maya and Adrian made all the difference. I could see and sense the huge amount of care and consideration that had been put into creating the day we had together and I'm very thankful, to you both and the whole team. 

— March 2024

A very important moment for me in this session was when I learned how to say ‘no.’

— December 2024

 FAQs

  • Great question and important to ask.

    • For starters, we acknowledge that trauma affects individuals, groups and communities

    • We ask practitioners about their known triggers and support systems so that we can incorporate accommodations and supports into the design of our activities and group agreement

    • The first thing we practise, before stances, strikes or releases, is saying 'no' to activities that don't feel right. We invite participants to practice saying no in sessions and celebrate when they do

    • We don’t assume consent to physical contact. All games and exercises are non-contact by default. We invite participants to choose whether to opt in to contact variations of exercises

    • We consider participants to be the authorities on their own experience. The activities we do are invitations not instructions. We invite participants to choose —from a range of variations, to take a pause, practise a grounding technique, or to simply say ‘no.’

    • We practise nervous system regulation techniques, and invite participants to choose ones that work well for them

    • We practise interoception and making choices in line with our instincts, energy levels, and body cues

  • Together, we’ll decide on an 8 week block when availability lines up. We love working in spaces where clients already feel comfortable familiar. If So if you have one in mind, we’ll check a few things out to make sure everyone can move safely in it or else propose an alternative.

  • As part of of a survivor support charity or community group, the subsidised cost to you is £300.

    If you work with a group who would benefit but cost is a barrier, let us know and we can collaborate on fundraising.

  • Your facilitator is Maya D'Amour. Maya’s style is thoughtful and collaborative. Her workshops address the specific safety challenges women face.

    She believes that true safety starts with recognising that you deserve to be safe. Workshops help participants to identify and assert their own boundaries, say what they need, and stop what’s unacceptable.

    They offer the chance to practice a range of techniques and how to use them in real-life situations. Participants come away with techniques to defuse a situation, and create space to think and act.

    Maya trained to work with trauma in the body as a yoga teacher and in trauma-informed martial arts programme design. She’s a certified Empowerment Self Defence instructor, completed foundational training in Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga, holds a 1st Kyu in Shotokan karate, and continually explores new ways of drawing on kickboxing, Krav Maga, and Jiu Jitsu.

    Her style is thoughtful, creative, and collaborative and her workshops are full of compassion and empowerment.

  • If your organisation supports women survivors, and a member of your team is consistently available to coordinate logistics, client care, and impact analysis with us, then yes!

  • We’ll reach out to learn about you, your group, share an overview of the trauma-informed empowerment self defence programme, answer your questions.