Comments

I read about the wonderful JYF project in my latest People magazine, and immediately had to check out your website. I watched with horror the videotaped abduction of Carly Brucia, and made my 14 year-old daughter watch it as well. This is truly a parent's worst nightmare.

Thank you for this important work.

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.

You would have been so proud of Dallas today. She stood up in front of our 400 students with the greatest poise and composure. She drew them in from the start and had them laughing and listening at the same time. I shared the DVD with a girls school in Memphis.

Thank you for your help in connecting us with Dallas.

Thank you for such a brilliant website and film. I will make the film required viewing for my teenage daughters!

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.

As a fellow black belt I applaud what you are doing. And as a dad with 2 girls............Thank You!

I commend you and all involved in such an important mission. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom who is very active in my community, I was a journalist for 12 years. Throughout much of my career I covered both the education beat and crime and public safety for daily newspapers such as the Oregonian, Seattle Times and various San Francisco Bay Area papers. I remember opening the top drawer of my desk at work one day only to realize I had accumulated too many photos of murdered or missing children. I have interviewed many families who have suffered from this loss and do not wish it upon anyone. I have to admit my experiences made me quite paranoid about the concerns regarding child abduction, rape, torture and all other unfathomable things people might do to any child. Although honestly, because of my experiences I truly believe folks can never be too careful these days. That is why this project hits close to my heart. Again my sincerest congratulations and gratitude to everyone who conceived, participated and are still involved with your Just Yell Fire project.

You are a remarkable young woman. This morning I saw an interview with you and your mother. The clips of the movie were wonderful. What you have done would be considered a major life accomplishment at any age. To recognize the need and produce an educational film at your age is nothing short of extraordinary. May I join your mom in saying how proud I am of you!

Fantastic. I'm a father of a 13 year old girl and a 15 year old boy.

I've been after both to take some courses. Hopefully this video will help motivate them or at least teach them a few things that could help.

From what I've seen so far of the movie, I'm going to tie them both in a chair and make them watch it.

Thanks again...

Hi. Awesome job on this video. In fact, I think it’s so important that I want to organize an evening of instruction for my 11 year old daughter and her friends.