As part of our equal opportunity activities the NCCR MSE organized a Wen-Do course for female postdocs and PhD students. The first part of the course took place on 14th March 2023 and the second part is scheduled for the 28th March 2023. The participants came from different NCCRs and enjoyed the possibility of practicing Wen-Do, talking about their personal experiences and discussing difficult situations they had encountered. One of the highlights of the course was that all participants succeeded in smashing a two cm thick wooden board – a real booster to one’s self confidence!
The name Wen-Do combines a contraction of the word women with the Japanese word Dō, meaning "way". Wen-Do is a physical and mental self-assertion and self-defense concept developed by women for women. The concept is geared towards real-life situations that women may encounter in education, at work, in relationships, in the family, and in public: from derogatory remarks and unwanted advances to physical assaults and other forms of sexualized violence. In the course Dr. Livia Boscardin, our Wen-Do trainer with extensive experience in teaching Wen-Do and accompanying, advising and supporting organizations and individuals in topics around harassment, trained the participants’ perception and setting of boundaries as well as effective and efficient reactions in case the latter would be disregarded. Nevertheless, in doing so, joie de vivre always remained at the forefront!
There are still a couple of places available on 28th March, so feel free to join – just write an email to Hala Helmy (hala.helmy(at)unibas.ch)!