By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star Wednesday, August 24, 2005 10:50 AM EDT
NILES - Stop, you're not my Mom.
This is just one of the phrases children in Niles are learning at the first r.a.d.Kids class offered by Niles City Police Officer Kevin Kosten and Michigan State Trooper Rob Herbstreith of the Niles Post.
The r.a.d.Kids class is taking place at the Niles Law Enforcement Complex Monday through Friday of this week. It teaches the kids to resist aggression defensively and is taught to children between ages five and 12.
On Friday afternoon, from 4 to 7 p.m., there will be a demonstration ceremony for parents to see what they have learned throughout the class.
"We talk about safety issues and we show them how to stay safe in certain situations," Kosten said.
There are three main principals which are used to teach the kids throughout the class.
The first point the kids are taught is that no one has the right to hurt them, because they are special.
The second principal is they don't have a right to hurt anyone else, including themself, unless someone is trying to physically hurt them. If this happens then they have a right to stop them.
And lastly, nothing that happens to them in the case of a stranger coming up to them is their fault. When it's not their fault, then they can tell someone about what happened.
"This program really empowers the kids to protect themselves," Kosten said. "It's a good idea to have kids take this class because as a parent you can't be there every second to protect your kids from what's out there and this is a way to make sure they are alright.
"This class is great for the kids because it helps to build high self esteem and confidence, as well as gives them the knowledge of what to do to protect themselves should they be approached by a stranger or if someone tries to abduct them," Kosten added.
The r.a.d. Kids program is relatively new and Kosten and Herbstreith are the first ones to run such a class in Berrien County, as they recently attended a kids' safety defense course in order to teach the r.a.d. Kids class. The class is a spin off of the women's rape defense class which is taught in many communities.
"There is no other program like this out there," Kosten said. "It's tailored to kids and it takes what they taught in school one step further. The schools do a great job teaching the kids about stranger danger, but this class gives them the skills needed to defend themselves," Kosten said.
The two hour class is broken down into two different parts. For the first part of the class is the curriculum where the kids are taught what exactly a stranger and situations in which it's alright to defend themselves.
The second part of the class is where the kids are taught how to be safe as Kosten and Herbstreith run drills with the kids on different self defense moves.
"I thought it would be good for my granddaughter to take this class because, she is at the age where she is starting to get away from the family more often and has the possibility of coming into contact with the dangers life has to offer," Lois Sherman, a dispatcher for the Niles City Police Department said. She brought her granddaughter, Jasmine Davis, 5. "It's important to have all children take a class like this and the presentation of the material is different as its geared towards their age group."
"This class is very impressive and with the drills it makes the kids get up and do it," Susan Worley, a police officer with the Dowagiac Police Department, said. "With the kids getting up and doing the drills it gives them hands-on experience and helps them to remember what to do should the situation arise."
Worley also attended the course with Kosten and Herbstreith and is planning to implement it into the Girl Power program which she is in charge of at Patrick Hamilton Middle School in Dowagiac.
"Learning self defense at their age is a wonderful thing and I hope to have it incorporated in the schools so all the grade levels get the training," Worley said.
In Niles, the officers hope to schedule another r.a.d. Kids class soon, so more children will have the opportunity to learn how to protect themselves in dangerous situations.
