About SUPERkid Karate

 

SUPERkid Karate

SUPERkid Karate is a 501(c)(3) organization formed for exclusively charitable and educational purposes.  Specifically, our organization has designed and developed three programs that  educate the general public about Stranger Danger awareness, Anti-Bullying techniques, and easy Self Defense and are offered regularly via 7-week courses, and free seminars. Student participation is open to the general public.  There are no restrictions against admissions based on race and the organization has a racially nondiscriminatory policy.

SUPERkid Karate is run entirely by volunteers, and the courses listed below are held in public school gymnasiums.  The instructors are all Black Belt Martial Artists who volunteer their time to teach, and 80% of the Officers and Board of Directors have extensive martial arts training.  All three programs have run in the past, are currently running, or are scheduled to run in the future. SUPERkid Karate is committed to teaching basic self defense and protection against bullies and strangers, to the general public and in particular our youth.

EDUCATION

SUPERkid Karate provides the following three programs:

I.     FREE Stranger Danger awareness seminars to any group that requests them.  Typically 1-2 hours, this is an introduction to basic stranger awareness, easy and effective escapes, and reporting.  SUPERkid Karate has already taught dozens of free seminars to scouting, sorority, sporting teams, entire student bodies in school (both public and private) and other groups and individuals. 

II.    SUPERkid Karate 7-week course is offered regularly in Michigan public school gymnasiums. 

       The 7-week curriculum focuses on:

·               Introduction to basic martial arts techniques including self defense, blocks, punches, kicks, escapes.

·               Introduction to martial arts philosophies including those of honor, pride, respect, confidence, and physical health, that all lead to developing self esteem that makes becoming a victim less likely.

·               An entire class devoted to Stranger Danger awareness including awareness, prevention and safety tips; tricks that "strangers" play; identification of a "stranger"; basic techniques to escape a "grab" by a Stranger, and follow up reporting, all done through role-playing and partnering with parents to practice.

III.    "Don't be bullied, get M.A.D. (Martial Arts Defense)!" This is a 7-week course focusing on anti-bullying and stranger danger for both kids and adults, including self defense strategies, rules for safety, and role-playing exercises.  Participation of parents is encouraged. 

The instructors for all courses are volunteer black belt martial artists that receive no compensation for their services.

The Public Schools rent space in their elementary schools to SUPERkid Karate, for these courses to be held after school in the school gymnasiums..

 SUPERkid Karate spends all of its time providing and teaching these courses and seminars to willing participants.  A nominal fee of $35 for the 7-week courses funds the flyer distribution and rental fees for the classes held in the Public School gymnasiums.

The need for Stranger Danger awareness:

·    According to The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of time studied, resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.        

Thus, every 40 seconds a child is reported missing or abducted.  4% are never found.

·         Most abductions occur within a quarter of one mile from where the victim lives.

·         32% of child abductions take place on a street or in a car, while another 25% take place in a park or wooded area.

·         In almost half of child abductions (46%), the child is sexually assaulted.

·         More than 70% of kidnapping victims are girls.

·         In a recent study, nearly three-quarters (75%) of the parents asked said they feared their child may be abducted.

·         Most kidnapped kids are abducted by someone they "know." So teaching a child to not get in a car with a stranger is only a very small part of the education required. 

·         When children's charity Kidscape interviewed 500 children aged between five and eight, they found that while nine out of ten knew they should never go with a stranger, there was a lot of confusion about what a stranger actually looks like or does. Six out of ten of the children questioned thought a stranger couldn't be a woman and most described a stranger as a sinister-looking man with dark glasses and a beard.

·         It's vitally important that children know that a stranger is anyone that they do not know. But it is equally important to learn that there is "Danger" in going with someone that your parents have not specifically told you is okay to go with. 

·         SUPERkid Karate and SUPERkid's Stranger Danger class teaches children the definition of who a stranger is and who they're allowed to "go with."

·         Over 58,000 kids are abducted by someone they know who is not part of their family (friend, neighbor, acquaintance, etc). This type of abduction is usually sexually motivated.

·         Over 76% of kidnapped children who are killed are murdered within 3 hours of the abduction.

 

The need for Self Defense and Anti-Bullying skills:

When it comes to bullying victims, it becomes apparent that bullying has serious and lasting effects. Bullying victims often experience a series of emotional problems that can last the rest of their lifetime.  Many bullying victims take on years of therapy and treatment in order to help get over the psychological pain that bullying has caused.  In many tragic cases, this type of physical and emotional toll on a person can damage their self esteem so much that it results in suicide for the bullying victim.

Bullying is becoming more and more frequent among today's youth according to recent bullying statistics.  Many studies have shown that increasing domestic violence is leading to an increase in bullying.  Researchers note that one way to help begin to lower these bullying statistics is to tell an adult when it is happening.  However, according to the i-Safe American survey of students bullying statistics, about 58 percent of kids admit to never telling an adult when they've been the victim of a bullying attack.  An even higher percent admit to having no idea how to protect themselves.

It is no secret that with bullying, the first thing to do in order to protect your child is to stop the bullying.  This includes teaching children to report the incidents.  The next step is to get help for the child.  Experts agree that building self-confidence, particularly through learning skills in self defense, is an excellent way to help bullying victims, as well as to PREVENT bullying from occurring. 

Researchers including a child psychologist featured in a recent CNN article encourage parents to work with their children even when they are young to help them develop a sense of self.  They encourage them to learn about themselves and to learn and excel being exactly who they are....Kids with low self-esteem are less likely to stick up for who they are and make a prime target for kids looking to pick on someone weaker than them. 

They also highlighted that it is important to encourage children to explore activities, which would include martial arts and self-defense skills, that make them feel good about themselves. Finding something that they are really good at helps increase their overall self-esteem and feeling of self-worth.  Encouraging courageous behavior is another great way to help learn how to bully-proof children; encouraging them to stand up for themselves as well as their peers and other friends.  When groups of kids or teens stand together to put an end to a bullying situation, the bully is more likely to back off and won't mess with that child again.  Taking these measures when children are young is the best way for them to establish early on that they will not stand for bullying.  They can grow up with these values and share them with their peers and other friends.  This is a great way to protect children from bullying situations throughout their lives including adulthood. (sources: cnn.com)

For complete copies of all public documents, send an email to superkidkarate@gmail.com