RAD/SAFE Training Office| Department of Safety | Messiah College

R.A.D.

Basic Physical Defense
The Rape Aggression Defense system is a program of realistic, self-defense tactics and techniques. It is a 12-hour comprehensive course for women that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance, while progressing on to the basics of hands-on defense training. The class provides effective options by teaching women to take an active role in their own self-defense and psychological well being. R.A.D. is not a martial arts program. The course is taught by Department of Safety personnel who are certified R.A.D. instructors and provide you with a workbook/reference manual. We currently have three certified instructors Director Cindy Burger, Officer Angie Gaido, and Supervisor Sean Paddock

If you have a group of friends that are interested in taking a non-credited class you may contact Officer Angie Gaido and talk to her about setting up a class.

The class is limited to the first 12 females who register and you must attend all four sessions to receive attendance certification. To register or for questions, e-mail Angie Gaido at agaido@messiah.edu or call 717-691-6005.

Here's what some past class attendees have said about the program:

"It is beautiful and wonderful to discover and tap into the inner strength of a woman." Charlotte Knudsen, Employee

"What an empowering experience! I did things I never dreamed of and certainly never expected to do. Thank you! " Anonymous Employee"

Sign up for the class today; it's free and very worthwhile. Who knows, it may save your life some day!!

S.A.F.E

The S.A.F.E. Message
"If you were targeted for a violent attack, you are only guaranteed there will be one person there to defend you and that person is you… YOU are your best defense."


S.A.F.E. Program
Dual Purpose: 1. To prevent crimes of sexual violence in our communities through programs of education and training, focusing primarily on awareness and prevention; 2. To educate women about realistic options that will help them avoid, escape, and survive assaults if they do occur.

Program Details

NSDI's 'S.A.F.E.' PROGRAM is an initiative to STOP Violence Against Teenaged and Adult Women. 'S.A.F.E.'(an acronym for Self-defense Awareness & Familiarization Exchange) is an unparalleled 2-hour educational awareness, crime-victim prevention program – encompassing Strategies, Techniques, Options, and Prevention – that provides teenaged & adult women with information that may reduce their risk of exposure to violence and introduces them to the physical aspects of self-defense.

Teaching that "90% of self-defense is awareness, risk reduction, and avoiding confrontation; and only 10% is physical"; and focusing on both mental and physical preparedness, 'S.A.F.E.' provides women with solid public safety-awareness information to incorporate into their every day lives. Within 8 months of its March 2000 launch, 'S.A.F.E.' won the Miami-Dade LEO (Law Enforcement Officers) Foundation awarded in the 'Safety' category for the Miami Beach Police Department. Responding to the program's successes, NSDI was invited to introduce 'S.A.F.E.' in a one-hour presentation at the national meeting of Directors representing 32 Regional Community Policing Institutes (RCPI) funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)in Washington, D.C. And NSDI is proud to be included among their resources. To schedule a SAFE class, please email Officer Angie Gaido at agaido@messiah.edu