JACKSON HEIGHTS — A martial arts instructor is hosting a free self-defense workshop Sunday at Travers Park focused on "empowerment" in the wake of violence.
Artemis Defense, a nonprofit that offers the free training, is holding the two-hour session at Travers Park on Sunday, July 10 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
Martial arts instructor Elena Waldman has brought her specially-designed self-defense program to vulnerable communities around the city.
In 2012, she hosted a free class for trans women in Jackson Heights, teaching a five-point self defense program as well as tools to de-escalate situations with both strangers and within family or partner violence.
The goal is safety, but also empowerment, according to Daphne Moraga, who works at Artemis Defense with her partner Waldman.
Sunday's class is the first of many free workshops in the area, and is open to everyone. People will learn the "five fingers of self-defense," which are the fundamentals to the program. It teaches that the goal is not to hurt another person when unnecessary, but to protect yourself, she said.
Moraga said they were prompted to host the class in response to not just one particular incident, but many violence incidents both locally and around the world.
"Everyday around the world terrible circumstances endanger human beings," she said.
And while not everything can be fought with self-defense, "if even one community, one person, can feel stronger and more capable of preventing such things from happening, one of our goals has been met," she said.
