ESD Global is a global collective of Empowerment Self Defense instructors, activists, and educators providing training worldwide in an effort to scale the accessibility of ESD.
Our training aims to create new generations of Instructors from diverse communities and empower them with the tools to teach Empowerment Self Defense methodologies that are uniquely catered to their community and the populations they serve.
Originally created in response to the overwhelming occurrence of Gender-Based Violence, we believe that ESD training is a key violence prevention strategy to interrupt, respond to, and heal from violence in all forms. Our empowerment-based, trauma-informed approach makes Empowerment Self Defense different from conventional self-defense in that it covers all matters of violence rather than only physical. Training includes physical self-defense techniques and a comprehensive range of tactics, including verbal techniques, awareness skills, confidence-building practices, and more. The empowerment model focuses on honoring and expanding the choices of participants, particularly those who have survived trauma and discrimination, and evidence supports the efficacy of Empowerment Self Defense education in reducing gender-based violence and other acts of interpersonal violence.
We are a global community.
We are ESD.
We are changing the world.
OUR SPIRIT
"ESD has taught me that there is nothing wrong about saying no. ESD has taught me that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you believe, authentic empowerment always comes from within, but sometimes we need the support and encouragement from others to remind us how to connect with that power."
Beautiful Natural Setting
6 Total Training Experiences
Fun and Friends
At the Global ESD Summer Experiences, we are bringing together ESD professionals, members of the Global ESD Sandbox, and other ESD networks to shape the future of Empowerment Self Defense on a global scale. It will be an extraordinary opportunity to collaborate, partner, and create a powerful strategy for the next six years.
Our professionally facilitated Incubator sessions will provide a platform for sharing ideas, discussing challenges, and dreaming of global ESD accessibility. Alongside the Incubator, there will be a range of instructor training programs designed to empower individuals interested in becoming ESD instructors and those looking to strengthen their ESD education.
We look forward to unlocking the potential of Empowerment Self Defense. Together, we can scale violence prevention programs, transform social systems, and create a safer world.
