PREPARE Portland

Specialties

Prepare Portland offers comprehensive violence prevention programs and empowerment self-​defense. We offer classes for children, young teens (6^th-​8^th grade), teens, adults, and parents/​caregivers. At their core, our workshops empower people to make optimum choices during stressful situations, but the benefits extend beyond that to greater understanding and communication skills, improved relationships, knowledge of their own strength, and powerful tools (verbal and physical resistance) to choose from in any given situation.

We create an emotionally and physically safe environment, acknowledging that there is a range of experiences and feelings that come with learning these skills. We are trauma-​sensitive and trauma-​informed.

The way that we teach physical skills is unique. We teach in teams; one instructor teaches, guides, refines, and coaches, while the other instructor (s), during practice scenarios, wears a specially designed suit that allows students to safely practice the techniques full-​force, encouraging muscle memory. All instructors have undergone hundreds of hours of training, in and outside of the classroom.

We know that physical and verbal/​mental skills complement each other, and efficacy in one leads to efficacy in the other. That’s why all of our classes and workshops are truly comprehensive and thorough.

History

Established in 2006.

Prepare Portland offered its first Adult/​Teen Basics class in 2006. Since then, we have served people of all ages in our public classes and have offered numerous private programs by partnering with agencies, businesses, groups, and businesses in the Portland Metro area.