GCC and PSP Community Self Defense: How our Community Grew Stronger in 11 Sessions
GCC & PSP Volunteers Teaching Our Community on How to Protect Ourself and Others
Glow Community Center has been partnering up with the Public Safety Patrol, a volunteer civilian patrol group to deliver self-defense workshops every Sunday. With a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes due to the pandemic, safety has been a primary concern for many in Asian communities. We wanted to address this concern in hopes of making our communities and their community members feel safer, so we held our “Love and Unity in May” benefit concert in May addressing anti-Asian hate. The concert raised enough money to help fund these workshops, which teach practical and effective self-defense techniques so you can travel to and from home with confidence.
It’s tough out here, but we’re getting tougher & smarter.
The pandemic perpetuated a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. Traveling safely without being attacked has grown to be a primary concern for many in Asian communities. Our concert raised money to fund these workshops – teaching practical and effective self-defense techniques to find safe passage home. It’s tough out here, but we’re getting tougher & smarter.
Every workshop was free and lasted approximately 2 hours in which the instructor(s) worked closely with each participant so that they may get the most out of their experience. In the 11 sessions total that we’ve hosted, we’ve had more and more newcomers who were interested in self-defense methods and also many local recurring participants who became more comfortable with applying the techniques.
As we have reached the end of the program, we would like to thank everyone who joined us in learning how to keep themselves and their communities safe. This wouldn’t have been possible without the aid of the Public Safety Patrol. We are grateful to their volunteers who work tirelessly to combat hate crimes and to make the Flushing Community a safer place.
