Prepare offers comprehensive violence prevention training and personal safety programs. In all our programs, we situate violence in the social and cultural context within which it exists. Along with the broad spectrum of curriculum we offer, we support the work of others in the anti-violence community. Our primary prevention programs work to change beliefs and behaviors before they lead to violence: health and life skills education, anti-bias and anti-bullying programs, and social and emotional learning fundamentals. We are best known for our secondary prevention self-defense and personal safety courses which feature the suited instructor: IMPACT Basics and Prepare classes for kids and teens. Our classes empower individuals to lead their lives fully, with the confidence that they have the tools to better manage what life brings their way.
Of the many gifts that my time with Prepare has given me, the “muscle memory” for handling difficult situations is among the most profound. Being surprised, frightened, or confused can impact anyone’s ability to think clearly or strategically, but knowing that I have trained to respond automatically when confronted with potential danger has immensely increased my confidence walking through the world. Combined with a deepened trust in my intuition, and a belief in my right to safety and dignity, I’ve developed a stronger conviction in my ability to handle volatile situations whenever and wherever they may arise. As I was running errands on a sunny summer afternoon in my busy Brooklyn neighborhood, I walked by a man and woman standing…