Dear John,

?

White supremacists and authoritarian forces are on the rise.

Over the last few years, we have found ourselves needing a broader range of skills to fight the battles ahead -- everything from self-defense and first aid to direct action organizing and community mental health (and more). This year, we are hosting our first-ever in-depth 5-day Community Defender Training -- for folks who want to gain a wide range of skills to support communities that are under attack.?

Skills trainings will include: Adult CPR/AED Certification and Advanced First Aid, Active Violence Emergency Response Training (AVERT), Management of Aggressive Behaviors Certification, Introduction to Harm Reduction Principles, How to Approach Interactions with Police, Direct Action Organizing, and more. For a full list, visit the registration link below.??

This training is for anyone who wants to learn and share techniques for protecting, healing, organizing, and supporting communities facing violence or prolonged exposure to trauma... and to build stronger ties to other communities under attack. This is our first time hosting this training, and we look forward to leaning on the knowledge not just brought by our trainers, but also by our attendees' communities.

If you are interested in attending, please complete the application below and we will follow-up with you to schedule a phone call: to answer any questions you may have, learn more about your interests in the training, and provide further details. Spots may be limited. Here's the application link. Also here: bit.ly/CommunityDefender.?

The training is scheduled from April 17-April 21, 9am-5pm each day. All trainings will be held in-person in the Charleston, WV area. (We will share the exact location with participants.) This is a strictly "pay-as-you-can" training. Full scholarships are available. If you are someone who wants to be there, please do apply. We want to do what we can to help make it possible for you to attend.?

Don't hesitate to let us know if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Stephen Smith and Brandon Dillon

PS Items above in bold are areas where participants will receive a certificate for their participation.

PPS If you would like to help increase our fund for scholarships for this training, please make a donation here: https://donorbox.org/wv-can-t-wait-mutual-aid-2.?

WV Can't Wait is a movement to win a people's government in the Mountain State. For more information, visit wvcantwait.com.