An open letter about the background of the Center Director

This letter is for the information of anyone who might be interested in KIDPOWER Vancouver and would like to know something about the background and motivation of the Padded Instructor and Center Director. I am married with two children. I am board certified in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine and have worked as an emergency physician at Vancouver General Hospital since 1990. I am an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia.

My self defense experience began with training in Shotokan Karate in early university.  After a hiatus from martial arts during my medical training, I returned to training in karate in 1990, primarily with the hope that my children would follow my example and enter the martial arts. Unfortunately I was forced to give up formal training several years ago as a brown belt after a knee injury prevented me from performing the high kicks required of the Shotokan style. Since that time I have continued to train in reality based self defense and defense against weapons with a variety of partners privately. The emphasis of my training has been on confrontation management and practical self defense skills drawn from a variety of sources and styles.

In conversations with the nurses in our emergency department a few years ago, they became aware of my interest in personal protection and my background in martial arts. After some of our staff became concerned about their personal safety, the nurses asked me to teach them self defense skills. With some initial trepidation I did so, and thus began my journey as a self defense instructor.

So how did I start teaching children? Although I feel privileged to live in a city which is relatively safe, I am, as an emergency physician, acutely aware of the reality of personal violence, especially for the vulnerable in our society. In raising our children my wife and I have tried to enable them to be confident, self sufficient, responsible individuals in all areas of their lives, including personal safety. We therefore view personal safety and self protection skills as essential life skills, just like water safety, or knowing how to safely cross the street.

When our children were old enough I began to teach them self defense on a regular basis, along with some of their school mates. Feeling somewhat anxious about taking on such a large responsibility without formal certification as an instructor or an affiliation with any official organization, I contacted KIDPOWER in 2003. I had read about KIDPOWER in several books dealing with self defense for women and children. I applied to be trained and certified as an instructor out of a desire to do the best job possible, and to make a greater contribution to the community in this area.

After being accepted as an instructor candidate, I completed the training and certification program as a KIDPOWER/TEENPOWER/FULLPOWER Padded Instructor between February and May of 2004. Because there had not been an active KIDPOWER office in Vancouver for some years, I also became the Centre Director. Since then we have been conducting school and public seminars for kids, teens, and adults.

Becoming involved in KIDPOWER/TEENPOWER/FULLPOWER International, as it is properly called, has been a truly life changing experience. The people in the organization are exceptional individuals working with sensitivity, dedication, professionalism and passion. The privilege of teaching safety and self defense skills, especially to kids, is as rewarding as any work I have done in 24 years as a physician.

I hope this introduction will encourage you to seek more information about KIDPOWER Vancouver and how we can serve you and your family. Even though we live in a relatively safe society, there remains a need for personal safety skills. My work as an emergency physician has taught me the importance of preparing for adversity, however unlikely and unexpected. It is empowering to do so. Martial arts have taught me that life is a journey and that we must remain open to learning new things if we are to grow as individuals. Most importantly, my family has taught me that our children are immeasurably precious, and vulnerable, but can be made strong.

Sincerely,
Dave Harrison
Center Director
KIDPOWER Vancouver