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KidPACT Kids learn:
• How to identify potentially dangerous situations. Why KidPACT?
KidPACT is a self-protection program that originated in the United States and was adapted by El HaLev to meet the specific social and cultural needs and challenges of Israeli children. KidPACT teaches children awareness, confidence-building and self-protection skills in a fun, positive, high-energy atmosphere. It provides awareness and self-protection strategies that boost self-esteem and self-efficacy throughout childhood and into the teenage years. What makes KidPACT unique? The KidPACT program was formulated using the same principles that have made IMPACT Self-Defense programs for women the best documented and most successful women’s self-defense training programs in the world. • Adrenaline-based Sensory Learning: By creating low level stress situations, instructors prepare kids to “unfreeze” and apply their skills even under the stress of threatening or frightening situations. • Male-Female Team teaching model: Utilizing female-led male-female teaching teams helps challenge kids’ assumptions about female leadership and provides positive male and female violence prevention role-models. • Real-life Simulations: Especially trained staff members participate in role-playing simulations with the children to give them an opportunity to practice assessing situations and employing verbal and non-verbal threat reduction and self-protection strategies. • Tools for Dealing with Familiars As Well As Strangers: KidPACT places a strong emphasis on helping children cope with pressure and unwanted intimacy from adults they know. It provides specific skills for dealing with these complex situations and special training in recruiting supportive adults at home to advocate for them. The Course KidPACT is especially designed to meet the social and developmental needs of children. It emphasizes a variety of strategies, i.e. increasing awareness, radiating self-confidence, boundary setting using verbal and non-verbal cueing, identifying attempts to undermine safety, persuading caring adults to intervene, dealing with bullying, and bystander intervention. Defensive physical techniques are taught as a way to get to safety, a “last resort” after all non-physical attempts to stop the attacker fail. They are practiced as part of realistic scenarios in which specially-trained suited attackers test their verbal and physical boundary setting as well as their physical defense skills. For ages 4-6, two-hour seminars are taught to groups of up to 12 parents and children. For ages 7-12, courses are taught to groups of up to 12 children, ideally in three two-hour sessions. The teaching team consists of a female instructor, a male instructor who also assumes the role of the suited attacker, and volunteer assistants. More staff members can be added to accommodate the needs of larger groups. In addition to instructing, demonstrating, role-playing and leading group discussions, the team builds a strong group spirit among the children to maximize learning, encourage mutual support, and enable group members to share concerns, fears and relevant past experiences. |
