Some topics are difficult to discuss with teens, and the possibility of sexual assault is one of them. The DOVE Center’s personal safety course, beginning Aug. 26, helps teens and parents confront these topics head on, teaching them how to protect and prepare for these situations together.
Tamra Carter, a St. George resident, has taken the course with her teenage daughter, Makayla. Both mother and daughter describe how the class helped them reinforce their boundaries and create a fighting mentality, which is a personal commitment to protect oneself at all costs in the case of assault or rape.
“I wanted to prepare myself for the future,” said Makayla. “The course has helped me prepared emotionally and mentally, so if I ever got in a situation where I had to fight to protect myself, I know how.”
Tamra herself is a survivor of workplace rape and sexual assault. She took the class last year for healing and again a second time to learn how to be a personal safety facilitator.
“I want to help other women know that sexual assault can happen to anyone,” said Tamra. “I thought I was immune to it. Now I want to protect my children and other women from that.”
Taking the class as mother and daughter has had its advantages. Makayla mentions how she’s more comfortable practicing self defense with her mother there, and Tamra appreciates that her daughter has learned things that she was never taught about relationships.
“When we talked about signs of a potentially abusive partner, Makayla pointed out negative qualities she’s noticed in my previous dating relationships,” said Tamra.
In the class, only about half of the time is spent on self-defense moves in the gym. A classroom portion explores social, emotional, mental, and psychological patterns that encourage the prevalence of sexual assault in society, including why victims are often blamed for sexual assault, what abusers look for in targets, and how to identify an abuser at the beginning of a relationship. Overall, the personal safety course strives to empower its students.
Enrollment is now open for the fall personal safety course, which will meet every Wednesday night for 16 weeks starting Aug. 26. The course costs $124 per person but only $104 per person when enrolling with a family member. For more information about the personal safety course, please visit the DOVE Center’s website or call the DOVE Center at (435) 628-1204.
