News Coverage

A Vanderbilt University senior is being honored with what's considered the Nobel Prize for child advocates. It's called the World of Children Award, and 20-year-old Dallas Jessup is one of six recipients.
"It was pretty shocking, I mean, it's quite an honor to be a part of this amazing group of people who are making an impact on our future," said Jessup.
She's an author, filmmaker, and youth advocate who at just 15 years old, realized she had a valuable skill that was worth sharing...

Dallas Jessup is still embarrassed by the story, though her mom loves to tell it.
At age 10, little Dallas was ready to date. There was a cute boy, and she asked her parents if she could go out with him.
"My dad -- a very clever man -- said, 'You can date when you get a black belt,' " Jessup recalls.
Little did he know that statement would not only inspire the girl to take combat classes, but also would propel Jessup along a pathway of teaching other girls how to stand up for...

2007 CNN Hero Dallas Jessup talks about "Just Yell Fire," an initiative to teach young girls how to defend themselves.

Dallas Jessup teaches Karyn Greer some simple moves to help stop an attack. Jessup founded Just Yell Fire, an international movement to combat violence against young women.

What did you teach your daughter about defending herself from an attacker? If that is a concern, Martial Arts Expert and Author Dallas Jessup has an awesome video available called "Just Yell Fire."
Self Defense Filmmaker Dallas Jesup will be on the show today, talking about her film & women's self defense revolution "Just Yell Fire; Empowering Girls to Protect Themselves." You don't want to miss this !

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- Revved Up Kids will hold two self-defense classes for children on Saturday, Sept. 22 in Stone Mountain.
Allison Neal, co-founder of Revved Up Kids, said the first of two classes is designed for boys and girls as young as 6 years old.
"We teach those children about predators and about who predators are and how to recognize, avoid and escape a predator," Neal said.
For older girls, Neal teaches a different class called "Just Yell Fire." It's based on a...

If you are sending a child off to college, you no doubt are filling his or her head with lots of good advice. I know my parents did.
The precollege tip that I remember most clearly (and the one that may have been the most valuable), however, came from my brother:
"Never drink the punch at parties.''
This really stuck with me. Partly because I had never before known him to counsel against anything involving a party.
But mostly because he was already in college and...

A Vanderbilt University student will soon be honored with the so-called Nobel Prize for child advocates after creating self-defense videos that help women fight back and live life on their own terms.
Dallas Jessup, 20, began her mission to empower women when she was just a high school freshman and saw a frightening video of a Florida girl.
"A man came up and said something to her, and she went away willingly. And four days later, they found her body. And I watched that going, 'that...

When you think of customizable apps for the college crowd, the first thing that comes to mind is rarely public safety.
But that’s exactly the goal of Ping4 this fall. Using innovative technologies such as geo-fencing — which allows users to target a specific area — Ping4 enables students to notify others of a dangerous situation. If you witness a mugging, for example, Ping4 lets you tell all other users who are within the area. You can provide details on what you...