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Daily Press 6/19/07 GLADSTONE — Personal security is an important family issue that affects everyone in various settings — international, national, community, home, school and work, said Lynette Bunno, owner of Superior Martial Arts in Gladstone. Self-defense training is one of the few positive actions available to today’s families to improve personal security.
“Recent studies seem to support the value of self-defense training,” said Bunno. “In a 2003 survey for the Girl Scouts of the USA, 31 percent of girls between the ages of eight and 12 reported being afraid of being kidnapped.”
There are more than 100,000 non-family-member abductions attempted each year, according to the American Prosecutors Research Institute. Eighty percent of the victims had initial contact with the attacker within a quarter-mile of the victim’s home.
Bunno said that other common locales for violent crimes were on streets other than those near the victim’s home (15 percent), at school (14 percent), or at a commercial establishment (8 percent). Of the violent crimes that occurred away from home, about half occurred within a mile from home and 75 percent within five miles.
“These studies and data prove that defending oneself is not a matter of being prepared for possible confrontations in an unfamiliar part of town or in another city or state, but right in your neighborhood, even on the street where you live,” said Bunno. “As the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reported, ‘Of the victims of violent crime, 22 percent were involved in some form of leisure activity away from home at the time of their victimization; 23 percent said they were at home; and another 20 percent mentioned they were at work or traveling to or from work when the crime occurred.’”
According to Bunno, individuals and families who learn self-defense techniques are simply better prepared to handle personal security. Improved physical and mental fitness, combined with proper technique, help children and women, especially, to remain calm and in control of potentially harmful situations.
Self-defense students also learn to be more aware of their surroundings. Children learn how to avoid bullies and abductions. Women learn how to turn their fear into power, so they are seldom victims. Men gain greater confidence and are better able to protect themselves and their families, in virtually any threatening situation.
What are the most important things parents should tell children about safety?
1. Always check first with a parent, guardian, or trusted adult before going anywhere, accepting anything, or getting into a car with anyone.
2. Do not go out alone. Always take a friend with when going places or playing outside.
3. Say no if someone tries to touch you, or treats you in a way that makes you feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused. Get out of the situation as quickly as possible.
4. Tell a parent, guardian, or trusted adult if you feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.
5. There will always be someone to help you, and you have the right to be safe.
What should a parent know when talking to a child about safety?
1. Don’t forget your older children. Children aged 11 to17 are equally at risk to victimization. At the same time you are giving your older children more freedom, make sure they understand important safety rules as well.
2. Speak to your children in manner that is calm and non-threatening. Children do not need to be frightened to get the point across. In fact, fear can thwart the safety message, because fear can be paralyzing to a child.
3. Speak openly. Children will be less likely to come to you about issues enshrouded in secrecy. If they feel that you are comfortable discussing the subject at hand, they may be more forthcoming.
4. Do not teach “stranger danger.” Children do not have the same understanding of “strangers” as adults; the concept is difficult for them to grasp. And, based on what we know about those who harm children, people known to children and/or their families actually present greater danger to children than do “strangers.”
5. Practice what you preach. You may think your children understand your message, but until they can incorporate it into their daily lives, it may not be clearly understood. Find opportunities to practice “what if” scenarios.
6. Teach your children that safety is more important than manners. In other words, it is more important for children to get themselves out of a threatening situation than it is to be polite. They also need to know that it is okay to tell you what happened, and they won’t be tattletales.
Is "stranger danger"—that dangers to kids come from strangers—really a myth?
Yes. In the majority of cases, the perpetrator is someone the parents or child knows, and that person may be in a position of trust or responsibility to the child and family.
We have learned that children do not have the same understanding of who a stranger is as an adult might; therefore, it is a difficult concept for the child to grasp. It is much more beneficial to children to help them build the confidence and self-esteem they need to stay as safe as possible in any potentially dangerous situation they encounter rather than teaching them to be "on the look out" for a particular type of person.
For decades, parents, guardians, and teachers have told children to "stay away from strangers" in an effort to keep them safe. In response to the on-going debate about the effectiveness of such programs, NCMEC released the research-based Guidelines for Programs to Reduce Child Victimization: A Resource for Communities When Choosing a Program to Teach Personal Safety to Children to assist schools as they select curricula aimed at reducing crimes against children.
What other advice can you offer parents about talking to kids?
Parents should choose opportunities or “teachable” moments to reinforce safety skills. If an incident occurs in your community and your child asks you about it, speak frankly but with reassurance. Explain to your children that you want to discuss the safety rules with them, so that they will know what to do if they are ever confronted with a difficult situation. Make sure you have “safety nets” in place, so that your children know there is always someone who can help them.
(http://www.missingkids.com)
IMPORTANT LINKS:
http://www.nsopr.gov/ http://www.mipsor.state.mi.us/
   Four members of the Superior Martial Arts Karate Team represented the U.P. at the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Region VI Championships held at the college of Lake County - Grayslake, Illinois on May 5th and 6th. Over three hundred of the best Martial Artists from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Michigan competed at this tournament.
After competing at the Michigan State Championships; Ben Troutman, Danny Hockin, Tarra Moran, and Brandon Ross decided to move on to the next level of competition. Their divisions consisted of many competitors and taking medals was a difficult task. The competitors took 7 medals.
 
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