R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense)

The R.A.D. program is not a traditional self-defense course. It fills a long-standing void by enabling women to learn in a period of several hours, a set of cognitive and physical skills which will be of benefit for years to come.  The R.A.D. approach to personal safety education embodies a practical blend of threat avoidance strategies and "real world" assault resistance tactics. The focus of the R.A.D. course is on the development of easily mastered personal safety skills. These personal safety skills can be safely practiced within a comfortable learning environment. The coupling of specific physical skills with a threat assessment process which will increase physical safety awareness. The overall goal of R.A.D. is to reduce victimization through informed decision making and sensible action.  The choice to be made regarding resistance in any particular situation is a very personal one. The R.A.D. students find the manner of instruction to be supportive and as a whole to be a very empowering experience.

The course also offers the student a unique "return and practice" policy. Once the student has completed a class, she has the opportunity to return to any class, free of charge, to practice concepts and to enhance techniques. This offer is good for life at any class in Canada or the United States.

Some vital statistics supporting the need for establishing this course at The University of Manitoba are as follows:

• 51% of Canadian women have experienced, at least, one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.
• 60% (approximately) of women who experience sexual assault are the targets of more than one such incident.
• 27% of women aged 18 to 24 have experienced violence in the past twelve months.
• 6% of violent incidents by men other than spouses, involved a weapon or an object that was used as a weapon.
• Only 6% of sexual assaults are reported.

The 27% of females from ages 18 to 24 would include a good majority of students on university campuses. At this age, students are very actively involved in socializing in bars, socials and other events where they are exposed to people from all walks of life. The University of Manitoba Security Services would like to offer this program to the university community as we feel that it offers substantial, solid information on personal safety and a preventative measure as a positive alternative for anyone who may find themselves in a situation where they may be losing control.

RAD Courses:

TBA

Participants are required to attend 12 hours of training in order to receive RAD certification. Courses are $25 for students, $30 for staff and $35 for non University affiliates.  Registration is payable by cheque or cash prior to commencement of the course.

Please note that course fees are non-refundable when registration is cancelled by the registrant.

The RAD Instructors are Constable Robert Rybacki and Constable Kristi Bonin.

Constable Rybacki was certified as a RAD Instructor in 2002 and graduated from the University of Winnipeg in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, specializing in Justice and Law Enforcement. In addition to training as a RAD Instructor, Constable Rybacki has been certified as a Control Tactics Instructor in both the PSS and PPCT systems.  He was certified in Protective Safety Systems (PSS) in 1999, by its founder John C. Desmedt (U.S. Secret Service, Ret.) and Bruce C. Cruikshank (Detective Sergeant, Edmonton Police Service, Ret.).  Cst. Rybacki was subsequently certified in the Pressure Point Control Tactics System (PPCT) in 2002 by Jeff Quail of the Winnipeg Police Service. Cst. Rybacki also oversees the University of Manitoba Security Service's Officer Safety Program.

Constable Bonin was certified as a RAD Instructor in 2006 and graduated from the University of Manitoba in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, specializing in Criminology and Psychology.  Constable Bonin is also a member of the Security Services Bike Unit and is the Coordinator for the Student Patrol Program.

If  you have any comments or questions regarding  our R.A.D. program, or if you would like to register for a class, please send an email to: RAD@cc.umanitoba.ca