Trans-NB self-defence ?

This workshop will offer basic psychological, verbal and physical self-defence techniques using a somatic approach. This will be done with an approach based on consent, a framework and a way of facilitating that is adapted to contexts as wide-ranging as a mixed Trans-NB group.
In a state of stress, the automatic reactions of fight, flight, freeze and calm are mobilised. A person in this state does not consciously choose their actions. The somatic approach uses the body, emotions, intuition and thoughts to navigate our stressful experiences, including violence, by recovering the ability to choose reactions adapted to the situation, our bodies and our experiences.
The workshop includes practical exercises such as role-playing, consent exercises, hands-on practice of physical and verbal defence techniques, and anchoring and regulation exercises.

Who is this course for ?

This workshop is open to anyone who identifies as TRANSGENDER or NON-BINAR, regardless of your gender presentation, passing, pronouns, choices around transition.
Anyone questioning is most welcome. If you’re feeling that you might want to come because it touches you, but you don’t feel legitimate or “trans-NB” enough, this space is yours ! Don’t hesitate to contact us with any concerns or doubts.
We are organising workshops for different target audiences, so if you are not included in this training, please check our facebook page to see our other workshops.
We don’t believe in "safe" spaces and we are aware that violence can also exist in feminist queer spaces. In our workshops we invite you to co-create with us a courageous space, where we can work together in solidarity, respect and kindness.

When ?

October 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Where ?

The workshop will take place in GENT, venue to be announced later.

How to apply ?

To apply for a place in the training, please sign up on this form :

https://framaforms.org/trans-nb-self-defence-1693730676

We will accept applications on a first come first accepted basis with a maximum of 18 participants per group.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us before deciding if you want to participate : autodefense@feros.be

A bit about practicals

The full workshop takes one day and it is only possible to participate the whole day.

The workshop will take place in ENGLISH. We are also organising workshops in Dutch and French, so if another language is more comfortable for you, please check our facebook page to see our other workshops.

Most likely the workshop space will be on the second floor, so you will need to be able to climb the stairs. Please contact us if that creates a barrier for your participation. We balance sitting and standing times, but it is possible to remain seated, stand up or leave the room at any time.

What is Feros ?

The core of our work is to provide transformative learning spaces, often in the form of (residential) training courses. Our methods are based on experiential learning and invite engagement from the heart (at an emotional level), the head (at a conceptual and reflective level) and the body (at a practical and bodily level). We work with a non-hierarchical approach to learning and approach group dynamics through the lenses of intersectional and queer feminism. We seek to create collective cultures centered on collective care, where active listening and accountability to one another cultivate greater safety and inclusivity.

Who are the trainers ?

Three trainers : lex, robin and murmure.
We carry with us a background in mainstream feminist self-defence (Wen Do), care practicises (listening, somatic techniques, collective emotional resilience tools for activists, Ericksonian hypnosis), theatre of the oppressed, and boxing.

Our facilitation group is mixed on the dimensions of gender (transmasculine, transfemme, non-binary), social class, level of education, physical (dis)ability, health, level of English, income and family wealth. We include both survivors of family and intimate partner violence and perpetrators (past, not current).

We are all three of us queer, non-monogamous, kink-friendly, white, of Western European origin, neurodivergent (zebra, autist, hypersensitive, adhd) and with complex relationships to our bodies, our psycho-emotional health and our families. We are all in our 20’s and 30’s.

We decided to situate our facilitation group as a whole and not to situate each trainer on the oppressive dimensions, because this also has negative consequences : invisibilizing certain oppressions, endorsement / tokenisation, the complexity of invisible experiences, the dynamics of legitimising certain people on the basis of a hierarchy of ’visible’ oppressions, etc.

Costs

Feros is a young project, without regular funding sources, so we are largely dependent on donations to enable us to organise our activities.

We work according to the principles of a solidarity economy, in which everyone contributes what they can and takes what they need. We also regularly apply for grants to ensure that we can offer our work to those who need it, rather than those who can afford it.

For this training we suggest a sliding scale between 20 and 100 euro, knowing that the real costs per person are about 65 euro.

If you are not able to make a financial donation, but would like to support us in some other way, please let us know. Money should never be a barrier to participation, so if you are not able to make a (financial) contribution, you are still very welcome to attend the workshop.
For those who are able to make a financial contribution, we invite you to think critically about your financial standing and the privileges you enjoy in this society, related to your race, gender, educational level, (dis)ability, health and socio-economic background.
As a gentle guideline, we can suggest that from white participants with an income of over 1800/month (net) we would appreciate a donation towards the higher end of the sliding scale.