During December, around 400 students took part in a series of self-defence workshops at The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London’s (CONEL) Tottenham and Enfield Centres.
The 24 workshops, which took place between 4 December and 15 December were organised by CONEL’s enrichment team to raise awareness about violence against women and girls. The sessions helped students mitigate the dangers of street violence and enhance their overall personal safety.
The training was led by Sev Necati, a specialist facilitator who teaches practical contact and non-contact self-defence techniques. Her expertise, passion and sensitivity created a learning environment where participants were comfortable and engaged.
The workshops attracted a range of female-identifying students of all ages from various courses and academic backgrounds. During the sessions, students learnt about a range of verbal and physical techniques to improve safety and then practised them through role-play. They also received training on how to de-escalate certain situations and promote the safety of others.
There was a range of positive feedback from participants, who said: “I learned tips and we actually practised how to defend ourselves” and “I’ve always wanted to learn self-defence, so this was really helpful”.