Smart & Safe

Confidence. Awareness. Protection.

A 4-Week Self-Defense and Digital Safety Course for
Adolescent Girls. Empowering the next generation of girls with confidence, awareness, and protection — online and offline.

Why This Course Matters

Even in places like Maine, adolescent girls face risks that most parents would rather not imagine. One of the hardest parts of parenting a teenager is not knowing how to prepare them for the realities of the world. We want to protect them in a bubble, but it’s often the lack of awareness that creates the greatest risk.

According to the CDC’s 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 18% of high school girls reported experiencing sexual violence in the past year. The FBI and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) also report that cases of online exploitation of minors have more than tripled in the last five years

Adolescents “don’t know what they don’t know.” Smart + Safe gives them the tools to recognize risks, respond effectively, and carry themselves with confidence.

Keyla Alston-Griffin

Program Overview

Smart + Safe is an integrated 4-week course that blends practical self-defense techniques, digital safety awareness, and confidence-building strategies — all in an engaging, supportive group environment.

The four sessions are designed to address the major aspects of safety that adolescent girls need as they move through the world, building from awareness, to boundaries, to real-life preparation, and finally to integration of digital and physical safety.

Mind

Street Smarts & Awareness

Body

Self-Defense Skills

Confidence

Confidence in Action.

4 weeks - 1 hour per session

Teen girls age 13-17

Small group (up to 12 participants), interactive,
supportive environment

Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will have

Practical self-defense skills that can be recalled under stress

Increased awareness of risks in physical, interpersonal, and digital environments

Clearer boundaries and stronger use of their voice

A personal safety plan and strategies for everyday confidence