Inaugural Women’s Empowerment Festival at Laconia High School

LACONIA — The first annual Women’s Empowerment Festival will be occurring at Laconia High School and lasts  through Sunday, March 27. The festival’s purpose is to empower women of all ages by teaching them the skills to feel confident and self sufficient when traveling alone. The festival includes free self defense courses taught by various skilled instructors who can teach simple moves to get out of any threatening situation.

My name is Madison Brooks and I am a senior at Laconia High School. I started the Women’s Empowerment Festival because I have felt the very real fear that comes with walking to my car late at night knowing I would not be able to protect myself if something were to go wrong. Every woman knows this feeling, but it should not just be accepted as the way of life. I took this problem and looked for a solution. Through these very simple self defense courses you will gain confidence and knowledge that is invaluable, especially to those of us heading off to college.

On weekdays the courses will only be available to female students and teachers at Laconia High School, but courses will be held, for free, on the weekends for any women who would like to learn how to easily defend themselves. If you are a high schooler and you would like to participate, all you have to do is hand the permission slip back to the LHS office. If you are not in high school, you can attend any of the courses occurring on Saturday, March 19, Sunday, March 20, or the following Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27. The weekend courses will be held from noon-1 p.m. at Laconia High School.

Whether being attacked on the sidewalk is a real fear for you or not, the confidence gained from learning these skills is very real and unbelievingly empowering.

If you have any questions or would just like to let me know that you are planning on coming, I can be reached at brooksm1015@gmail.com.