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Last night when eating dinner with my 2 daughters they brought up the subject of school fights. They also realized they had no idea how to defend themselves. And asked why I never taught them. Ive done everything with them from swimming, skiing, soccer, tennis, cheer, career exploring, homework, and every other parent obligation I could manage. It suddenly shocked me that I havent covered one of the most important at their ages, 13 & 16, self defense. Both are strong, athletic and confident, until the subject of self defense comes up. I immediately started searching for ways to help and found Just Yell Fire I feel shame in not doing this sooner. Please accept my donation and send a DVD.

I am wrapping up the semester and showed your story again. I talk to my students about finding a voice, being empowered etc. My goal is to get them to realized the power they have through the tools we learn in my class.

Anyway, after we got done talking about you and others who have found a voice, I let them log onto your website and encouraged to look at "Just Yell Fire", we had already talked about the video's origins and message. At the end of class a very quiet 8th grader who never really speaks out much came up to my desk.

"Do you know how fast they can send the video? I am going to be moving soon."

Maybe that doesn't have the impact for you that it had on me. I have no idea what her personal story is, but the really timid girl making such an inquiry made me wonder.

I don't know how long videos take to ship. But I happily gave her mine. She was stunned and looked at it and then me with a wide eye, then said thanks and walked back to her seat still looking at it.

It was a nice moment, just wanted to share.

Thanks for who you are and what you stand for.

Teaching girls that they CAN defend themselves

I am interested in becoming a certified trainer for Just Yell Fire. I gained my Master's degree in Library Science last May with an emphasis in children's and youth services, and hope to find a job soon as a public librarian. With the amount of contact I will have in that field with young and teenage girls, as well as contacts with schools and other libraries, I would like to find out how to become involved and help promote your program.

I have been training in aikido as a self-defense art since June, and will be testing for my first rank soon. The more I learned in aikido, the more it made me aware of how girls and women in America are socialized about violence. Movies, television, and popular media seem to promote the belief that girls and women cannot win or escape in a situation where we are under attack by a man. Recognizing this made me interested in finding out what programs were already available to promote girls' and women's self-defense. I discovered Just Yell Fire by Googling "women's self-defense". I was thrilled to find that someone has begun a movement to counter that socialization early in women's lives, beginning with teaching the girls who are most at risk that they CAN defend themselves and escape an attacker, even if their attacker is much larger. I myself am only 5'1", and the techniques that eliminate an attacker's advantage of greater height are also especially applicable to me.

I live in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, and I would like any information available on training for certification for Just Yell Fire, either locally or in neighboring states if necessary. Many thanks to you, Dallas, and everyone else involved with Just Yell Fire for your caring and hard work.

Saw this video on Good Morning America, downloaded and intend on showing it my daughter asap! Also to other Girls Scouts.

Boys could benefit from it too, though this is not the intended market. Thank you for making it so believable and memorable, awesome job.

I think what you've done is absolutely wonderful. I am very grateful to you for your courage and compassion and for the making of this video.

I saw you on the Montel show, and think what you are doing is absolutely great, and very important. I am a Senior Master Police Officer with the Helena Police Department in Helena, Mt. I have downloaded your movie and will be giving copies of it to the school resource officers in our high schools and middle schools. This is very important information, and it is awesome for you to undertake this project. Thank you from all of us in the law enforcement profession, It is things like this that make all our lives easier, and the lives of others safer.

THANK YOU for making this available. The statistics are out of control. It's time girls learned to stand up and take control of the situation - too long they have been seen as easy prey!! Thank you!

I am the mother of 2 (1 girl, 1 boy) and I just saw the Montel Williams show & learned about your movie. I was moved to tears. You should be very proud of yourselves! You are great examples of the kind of young people we need in the world today, if there were more people like you the world would be a better place and your movie might not be so necessary, but unfortunately it is. You are an inspiration to people of all ages and are providing a life saving service. God Bless You!!!

I saw this video advertised in the In Touch magazine. What a wonderful idea.

I work in a junior high school with behaviour disorder kids, needless to say these girls don't live in the safest neighbourhoods. Although abductions happen everywhere, I worry that these girls I work with are at an increased risk of abduction, assault, etc.

Kudos to the ladies who thought of this, they are remarkable.

Hi there! I can't believe your story about how this film got started. But it's amazing. Congratulations on your successful journey, and by helping so many teen girls. But not only are you guys helping out young teen girls, you are helping out adult women. I myself, like so many others have been victimized by sexual assault. The ones who hurt me were never charged. I have two little girls, ages 3 and 8 months, and of course they are so young, I want them to have the opportunity to be able to protect themselves as they grow into adults. By having this video I will be able to help protect them, my nieces, and also my sisters and any other woman I have in my family and friends. I seen you guys on Montel today, and I cried, and cried. It's amazing what you can do if you really want to promote change. I'm so proud of you both, being a mother like I said, I pray to God each and every second that my girls will be just like you guys. Wanting to change things for the better.

My heart goes out to you and your crew for what you all have done.
Thank you again, but remember one thing that I tell my friends who have been hurt... You are NOT a victim, you ARE a survivor inside and out.

With love always, and forever!