Empowerment Self-Defense at UVM is a personal safety program aimed at creating a stronger community for all by enhancing communication, de-escalation, and physical defense skills and offering practice opportunities in a facilitated setting.

As a part of ongoing efforts to create a safer UVM community, a cohort of 14 UVM employees has recently received Empowerment Self-Defense Global’s Level 3 instructor certification. An all-campus invitation to employees in the Spring of 2025 catalyzed this cohort of trainers. The first Empowerment Self-Defense workshops for both employees and students were held in April 2025, in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. These UVM instructors are now poised to offer Empowerment Self-Defense workshops to UVM community members, free of charge.   (See “How to request a training,” below.) 

Kevin Hytten and Elliot Ruggles, ESD facilitation leaders, will also be offering a PEAC 1-credit course with Campus Recreation for any student who wishes to take a deeper semester-long dive into this topic. Self-defense courses have historically been highly sought-after PE offerings at UVM. The Empowerment Self-Defense course combines physical, social, and psychological approaches for students to embody an ethic of self- and community defense. 

 

Group of instructors

How to request a training

Any UVM group or department can request a training workshop here. Workshop spaces are limited to small groups (under 20 people) and offered in-person only at this time. Please be in touch with facilitator leaders to discuss the unique needs of your group.

Training Request Form

The ESD program at UVM would not be possible without the commitment and collaboration of several campus units. Safety and Compliance, the Division of Student Affairs, and Campus Recreation have all come together to make this program possible. We are especially grateful to our instructor team, a majority of whom hail from Residential Life and Dining, who teach our students from a uniquely student-centered perspective, acknowledging the nuance of addressing violence on a college campus.