POLSON — Some students in the Mission Valley spent Tuesday learning self-defense techniques in case of an assault.
For the first time, Polson High School partnered with the nonprofit Glory for Ashes to teach their students self-defense techniques in case of an attack.
Glory for Ashes fights to abolish human trafficking and sexual assault.
Kalispell Patrol Captain Brett Corbett told MTN News that statistically, women are at a high risk of getting attacked or sexually assaulted. He added that's the reason he's teaching self-defense techniques to Polson high school students.
Grace Manchala -- the executive director of Glory for Ashes -- speaks from experience about the importance of self-defense.
"I have been a victim of all kinds of abuse. Literally attacked on the streets, I have been attacked in the house," explained Manchala
She says it comes down to self-assurance. "If we learn this, we get the confidence to fight anyone, whether it's a familial person, or if it's on the street,' she said. "We do get the confidence to fight them."
Corbett explained that all the self-defense techniques he was teaching students on Tuesday are based in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
"I've got a nine-year-old daughter, and this is something I would wish my daughter would have when she gets up here, so that she has these tools, or anyone has these tools," Polson High School Principal Peter Hamilton said.
"I don't think that we're training kids to fight, we're training kids to defend themselves," he added.
Manchala hopes to bring similar classes to other Montana high schools.
