Safety and Resiliency building through De-Escalation and self-defense training and workshops.
We offer bimonthly trauma-informed safety trainings to small groups. The trainings scale from verbal de-escalation to light self-defense, with a focus on exiting a dangerous scene with minimal impact. This program helps to empower those within the LGBTQIA+ community to build mental, emotional, and physical strength and resilience through a trauma-informed lens. They also help build community and give folks the tools to pivot out of dangerous situations in real time.
2026 De-Escalation Trainings
Saturday, April 26, 2026 in Keene
Saturday, May 9, 2026 in Concord
Saturday, July 12, 2026 in Manchester
Community Need:
Our policy environment and polarized culture now create an environment that is unpredictably unsafe for people in the LGBTQIA+ community. After years of progress, we are seeing more hate, harassment, and violence against our community, even from official channels. At this point, something as simple as going to the bathroom can be fraught.
In response, 603 Equality has organized highly specific de-escalation and self-defense training for the community. We have partnered with Impact Boston, a long-time leader in teaching abuse prevention and feminist self-defense, to create this full-day class. This work generates community empowerment and safety in the midst of the current climate.
Project Description:
The training is trauma-informed, disability-aware, focused on personal safety and embodied power. This is a live scenario-based class, focused on scenarios that have been created by the current policy and social environments. We play through scenarios of what a trans or non-gender-conforming person would do when harassed. The situations sensitively and fluidly range for each participant from hallway bullying, up to an angry father knocking on your bathroom stall door. All of these scenarios apply equally to someone as a target as well as to an active bystander. Scenarios include knowledge of how to deal with private security and law enforcement, knowing your rights.
Results:
Demand is very strong and very enthusiastic, which is exciting, heartbreaking, and empowering all at once. We have clearly touched a deep unmet need with these classes, and are eager to move this embodied knowledge into the community.
Funding for this program can be provided directly to 603 Equality as a 501(c)4 organization, or through our Fiscal Sponsor, a 501(c)3 organization.
These programs are partially supported by:
Our 250+ grassroots funders. Donate to support here.
Approximately 180 in-kind / volunteer hours annually
In-kind support through community coalitions with non-profit partners