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Media
New Street Safety and Self-Defense Program Turns Kids into Little Warriors “In America 750,000 children are reported missing every year. Each year a staggering 50,000 are never heard from again.” FBI Crime Statistics 2000 With increasing media coverage of child abductions, sex offenders, and missing children, there is an urgent need to teach children Life Training Skills that can help kids to avoid and escape the many dangers of modern society. The Little Warriors Street Safety Program is a unique new street-proofing and safety program that teaches kids ages 5 to 9 how to be safe, how to protect themselves from danger, and what to do in an emergency. This program uses role-playing games and demonstrations to involve children and helps create a high level of interest. These games teach children survival skills without causing anxiety or a loss of innocence. Children do not have to understand all the reasons why something is wrong, they just need to know when something is wrong and what to do. Role playing games teach by doing, rather than lecturing. By physically re-enacting a skill through games and exercises, children create new nerve pathways in the brain that will enable them to use that skill instinctively later if they need to. These good instincts will serve to protect kids their whole lives. The Little Warriors Street Safety Workbook for kids, and the Street Safety Teachers Guide for adults, together provide parents and educators with easy to follow step-by- step instructions that enable any parent, teacher, or coach to conduct an exciting and effective street-proofing course in their home, school, after-school program, or summer camp. For more information about all Little Warrior Programs visit: http://www.chinastrategies.com/littlewarrior.htm Stefan Verstappen has a long history of teaching safety and survival skills. In the early 80's he worked as an Out-Tripper for the Toronto Boys Home, taking troubled teenagers from inner city group homes deep into Algonquin National Park and teaching them wilderness survival. Later he worked as a street worker in Toronto’s infamous ‘Corridor’ housing project, and helped to establish drug-counseling centers, after school athletic programs, and a day care center. Stefan later worked for St. John Ambulance, teaching emergency first aid and CPR. He was involved in the planning and execution of mock civil disaster drills in which volunteer ambulance divisions and local hospitals coordinated and evaluated their capabilities. A long time student of the martial arts, in 1987 Verstappen moved to Hong Kong and Taipei where he spent four years traveling throughout Asia studying oriental culture and martial arts. He studied with several renowned Kung Fu teachers, from hill tribe Shamans of the Golden Triangle, to back alley street fighters in the concrete canyons of Hong Kong. His adventures have been featured on Taiwan TV, on radio interviews, and several newspaper and magazine articles. Stefan is also an author and published his first book, The Thirty-Six Strategies of Ancient China, China Books & Periodicals, SF, in 1999. He has written numerous articles for various publications and is a regular contributor to Black Belt, Jade Dragon, and Inside Kung Fu magazines Since returning to Canada, Stefan has taught thousands of students including the handicapped. He wrote a book on his teaching the blind called “ Blind Zen, A case study in sensory enhancement for the blind” which combines sensory enhancement techniques with martial arts to develop confidence and overcome fear. In 1993 Stefan was approached by a parenting group to teach street proofing to group of young children. Drawing on the advice of educators and police officials, he developed a program of instruction that teaches children 5-9 years of age character building techniques with real street smart defensive skills. Stefan created unique games and role playing exercises that are unrivaled in training kids to avoid one of the greatest threats in our modern society – sexual predators. Stefan continues to write, teach workshops, and lecture on the benefits of martial arts. Stefan was recently interviewed by Mark Vidas for the Talking Book Radio Network on his book Blind Zen. You can listen to the entire 30 minute interview by downloading the file here: www.chinastrategies.com/bzinterview.mp3 Either click on the file and wait for your browser to download the entire file( No streaming available yet) Or right click and "Save File As" to your computer and listen to it anytime. Download time with a 56K modem is about 18 minutes.
No nonsense advice on what works in real
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Balance and the Martial Arts
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Stefan Verstappen