Mission

 

 

AWARE’s mission is to educate the public, organizations, and individuals about issues related to personal safety.

AWARE is a source of information, and support, for people, primarily women, learning how to cope with violence. AWARE is focused on self-protection and self-defense skills that can enable women to avoid, resist, and survive situations ranging from low levels of aggression to extremely violent assault.

As an acronym, AWARE stands for Arming Women Against Rape and Endangerment, but don’t interpret the word “arming” too literally. In our name, it implies that one can (and indeed should) be armed with courage, spirit, knowledge, and determination, whether or not one is armed with an extrinsic weapon.

AWARE includes women with first-hand knowledge of the realities of what it takes to be able to defend yourself. We have particular expertise in dealing with high-risk situations, such as stalking.

AWARE advocates self-protection along a continuum of force, because different types of protection are needed for different levels of threat. One’s first responsibility is to try to avoid danger by preparation and alertness. If a problem arises, one should always attempt to leave, or keep it from escalating, if possible. Only if these methods fail, or if a high level of threat is posed by an assailant, is a higher level of response justified.

Our focus is on preventing violence through education. AWARE is here to provide responsible information, and support for women who want to learn how not to be victims.

AWARE is a charitable, non-profit, all-volunteer group, NOT a company trying to make money from selling a particular product or technique, and NOT a political organization. We are a tax-exempt (501(c)3) organization.

We are not affiliated with any other organizations, and we do not sell, rent, or share our mailing list. See our privacy policy for more details.