For the first time on the South Shore a self-defence workshop was held specifically for LGBTQ+ youth.
Geared towards youth ages 10-17 the workshop aimed to give participants a toolbox of self defence skills, both verbal and non-verbal said organizer Shelley McCorriston, Chair of Lunenburg Pride.
She says that there are real concerns around safety in the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, and youth are particularly vulnerable because they haven’t necessarily developed the life skills for dealing with that kind of conflict
“This workshop will help to diffuse those potentially dangerous situations that create conflict, and also alleviate the stress and anxiety that comes with not knowing what to do and say and how to act if a youth finds themselves in an unsafe environment,” she said.
The workshop, which was held at the Western Shore fire hall, had spots for 20 youths and their parents or guardians and was completely funded through Lunenburg PRIDE and Pflag Halifax, a resource for parents/family/friends of LGBTQ+ family members.
Robin Nicholson, 15 , from Sackville, said there have been a few times he felt unsafe and thought taking the workshop would be good as a Trans youth in case he found himself in a situation where he would need to defend himself.
“This is the first workshop I’ve taken like this and I got to meet a lot of cool kids so it was a lot of fun,” he said.
Instructor Robb Carr, from Sackville, said this is the first time he has taught a self-defence course directed towards Trans youth and he welcomed the opportunity.
“I definitely feel there was a need for this because even though things are getting better in our communities unfortunately there is a lot of room for improvement. I’d like to see kids at least have a toolbox to use. My intention is they will have learned something but hopefully never have to use it.”
