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An offer to protect the children

To the editor:
The recent event of the abduction of an 11-year-old girl in Florida and the video that has played on national news reports has shocked me. I was immobilized when I saw the video for the first time. I watched as the young girl was taken by the wrist and led away by a total stranger. There was no struggle, no resistance, only a few words were spoken by the man as he seemingly gently took the girl away.
I could not believe my eyes. We teach this exact scenario in our karate, KinderKarate TM and SafeChild TM programs at Kyoshin Ryu Karate Academy. The girl put up no struggle in the video (perhaps she did later but by then it was too late.) My wife told me that even today, girls are socialized to be
compliant. They are not taught to resist or make a scene.
I told her that maybe it is time they were. I sat, watching, dumb-founded and horrified. I knew that if that girl were in any type of self-defense training that she would have had a better chance to escape the terrible event. I also knew that I have the ability to give that power to children. So to that end, Kyoshin Ryu Karate Academy is offering a free 2-hour course on stranger awareness and anti-abduction tactics for all children ages 5 and up. The workshop will be held at our dojo in Forest Lake on Feb. 14 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Further, any group ñ scouts, church club, school, day care, senior center, neighbors, any one ñ who wish to offer this workshop may contact us to have this workshop presented for your youth.
I can not sit idly by as the youth of our nation are at risk, knowing I have the power to directly influence the outcome of such tragic events. Our hearts and prayers are with the family from Florida.
Contact me, Chuck Phillips, at Kyoshin Ryu Karate Academy at (651) 982-9395 for registration and further details.

Chuck Phillips
Kyoshin Ryu
Karate Academy

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