Teens and preteens are invited to a two and one-half-hour workshop, where they will meet with the Face2Face Youth Group Leadership Team, Star Wars characters, and community leaders to discuss bullying, and then learn some simple but effective self-defense techniques from a renowned martial arts instructor!
In the first hour, youth will have an opportunity to express their concerns and talk one-on-one with a panel of community leaders about bullying. Agency representatives will be able to hear directly from the teens about which issues they feel need to be addressed, and youth can learn new tools for dealing with bullying when it occurs. Scheduled panel speakers include:
- Kevin Bracy
- Mayor Steve Ly
- Star Wars® characters (Members of the world-famous 501st Legion)
- Ofc. Kristopher Packwood of the Elk Grove Police Department
- Don Ross, Director of Student Support and Health Service for the Elk Grove Unified School District
- Lydia Ajay, co-owner of Ajay’s Karate
- Bobby Uppal, CADC-II
- Margaret Arsenault, Executive Director of Face2Face Youth Group, Inc.
The second hour consists of a basic self-defense class taught by Lydia Ajay, a 4th-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and the co-owner of Ajay’s Karate. During this portion of the workshop, teens will learn some simple but effective means of defending themselves against physical threats and bullying. Youth will learn how to avoid being struck, how to escape a grab or headlock, and other defensive techniques to empower them to thwart attempts to physically bully them.