We Protect Us: Self Defense Workshop
QTPOC Self Defense Workshop facilitated by IMPACT Bay Area
An IMPACT instructor coaches a student's technique while they practice a realistic self-defense scenario
Saturday, April 5, 2025 | 11:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
SFAC Main Gallery, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102
Free. Space is limited. Email sfac.galleries@sfgov.org to register
This workshop is intended for QTPOC identified and presenting individuals.
IMPACT Bay Area offers violence-prevention programs for people to embody their own power, set effective boundaries, defend their physical and emotional safety, and heal. Tailored to queer and trans folks of color, this 90-minute workshop will introduce strategies that can be helpful in the face of gender and race based harassment like adrenaline management, de-escalation, and verbal boundary setting, as well as bystander intervention. The class also includes an introduction to Empowerment Self-Defense techniques, starting with the foundational skills of intuition, situational awareness, body language, and voice--which prove effective in increasing safety and confidence.
About the Instructor
Nynke Koopmans has been teaching self defense for 20+ years and has been leading safety teams for large public/private events ongoing for 5+ years. She is a registered nurse, a 2nd degree black belt in Kajukenbo, and is especially committed to sharing safety skills with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.
This program is planned alongside the exhibition Ceremonies: Ritual to Self on view in the SFAC Main Gallery through May 3, 2025.
Program Partner
