UMAC holds ‘stranger danger' courses for children

Warwick — A new resource is helping children deal with the unique challenges they must face. Drawing on 30 years of research and development, EZ Defense uses a lively scenario-based training method, with interactive and age-appropriate role-playing, to help children deal with “stranger danger” issues. It is not a technique-based system, nor is it a scare-tactic course. Instead, the program provides training in a playful and supportive environment. Focusing on children from five to 12 years old, the program teaches children how to identify the common mistakes they make in confrontations, mistakes that not only get them into trouble in the moment, but become long-term negative patterns that they carry into adulthood. Once awareness of these mistakes is gained, new and assertive “action modes” are taught. In the process, children gain the skills to take control of their bodies, and take responsibility for their actions by assessing the problem and following through with an assertively appropriate response. The United Martial Arts Centers is the newest group to provide the self-defense training program for children. For more information, call 987-1853.