RAD teaches women how to defend themselves
- posted: 26 June 2007
- scrolllifestyle@byui.edu
The BYU-Idaho Women’s Activities council organized a workshop, June 19, called “Not Another Victim: Empowering Women through RAD,” (Rape Aggression Defense). The event was sold out.
The BYU-I women’s activities goals for “Not Another Victim” were to focus on meeting the needs of college women by organizing workshops, activities and events women can attend.
The “Girl’s Night Out” activity within the workshop started off with a little introduction on healthy eating habits. Effective exercising routines were also discussed.
The night moved on into a relaxing yoga session. After which, women participated in an intense kick–boxing class.
For the last event, Merrill Funk, an employee at the fitness center, instructed the girls on how to use the weight machines properly.
The workshop also consisted of two speakers, activities and a free dinner.
The speakers focused on educating girls about the importance of self-defense, women’s emotional health and healing and red flags to look for in a Latter-daySaint environment.
A Rape Aggression Defense course is offered here at BYU-I every semester and taught by Officer Doug Baker. Women are taught how to recognize dangerous situations before they happen.
Four thousand women die each year as a result of beatings, more than auto accidents, muggings, rapes and strangers, according to W.I.N.N Foundation.
RAD teaches women how to defend themselves not only from beatings but from rape as well.
“Rape is something like a pebble dropped into a pond. Its impact, so visible at first, quickly diminishes as society forgets, leaving the victim alone with her pain. The crime of rape is reported so infrequently that society in general is oblivious to its magnitude,” said Lawrence Nadeau, RAD systems founder.
The workshops were put together through the Women’s Activities council which is a part of the BYU-I activities department.
Their mission statement reads, “We enable students to teach and learn while creating gospel-centered programs and events in which voluntary participation develop and improves individuals.” 
