About
KickStart Self-Defense is a grassroots NPO founded to teach self-protection skills to not just girls and women, but any vulnerable population in a world too frequently unsafe. Our vision is to provide free, self-defense classes to high school and college aged students in Northern Colorado. By empowering people to set boundaries and to protect themselves with physical resistance, we will make our community safer.
Our Story
As the Rocky cross-country girls’ team was running on a trail last summer, they were accosted by an aggressive man. The girls attempts to de-escalate and run away weren't enough. The man followed them, shouting obscenities, and eventually blocked the trail with his bike. Our coach intervened, and thankfully everyone escaped safely. Needless to say, it was frightening for our girls, coaches, and parents.
I reached out to Rebekkah Beck of Beck’s Martial Arts, the taekwondo school where my daughter earned her black belt. Upon hearing what happened, Bekki was quick to offer a self-defense training to our girls’ team. It was an amazing hour in a safe space; our girls learned hands-on skills to protect themselves and to escape dangerous situations. Bekki brought a wealth of knowledge, sensitivity, ample encouragement, and even a spirit of fun to a very heavy topic. It was an absolute light bulb moment for me. As a middle-aged woman, I had never been exposed to these crucial self-defense skills.
As I thanked Bekki after the training, I wondered aloud, “Why isn’t self-defense part of our school curriculum?” Our schools do an excellent job of creating awareness of the risk of sexual assault, consent, and resources in the unfortunate incident of sexual violence. But what if someone approaches aggressively, starts to physically attack, has you in a choke hold or even pinned on the ground? There is a gap between awareness and fear, and tools and empowerment.
Months passed, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that with an organized effort, we could make a difference in the safety of people in our Northern Colorado community. I reached out again to the Becks to see if they would partner as head instructors of self-defense training. Their response was enthusiastic, and KickStart Self-Defense was launched!
The response from those who hear about our mission has been so positive. We look forward to creating a safer world by providing valuable self-defense skills to students and others in Northern Colorado!
Kirstin Kaines
Executive Director
Vision
Our vision is to provide free self-defense training to high school students through teams, clubs, and off-campus PE curriculum. KickStart also seeks to offer training to CSU students as an orientation activity to dorm bonding time. We will underwrite the cost of these free classes to students with paid trainings to groups in the community, grants, fundraising events, corporate sponsorships, and donations from our generous community. Please contact us or donate below if you'd like to join in our efforts.
