The Student Association’s Safe Walk is organizing a two-day course on Understanding & Managing Aggressive Behavior (UMAB) on Nov. 19 and 20.

The aim of UMAB training is to teach students the techniques and measures they can take to protect themselves and others from various forms of violence.

“This information is valuable knowledge to anyone, especially people who work with other people like in retail jobs,” said Chris Yalousakis, coordinator with SafeWalk.

Toronto is globally recognized as one of the world’s safest cities and ranks second on the economist’s Safe Cities world index for overall score. However, Toronto Police data shows assault cases are on the rise, jumping 5.8 per cent from last year all over the city.

Whether it be at work, school, or a shopping mall, UMAB offers to teach students what they need to do and the limits to what they can do when these situations do occur.

The information in this training course comes directly from a professional, Elisa Reid, who is an educator and former corrections officer. Reid possesses nearly 30 years of experience in the social service field and has spent 25 years facilitating and developing training strategies.

She will be running both the Saturday and Sunday classes.

This is a mandatory course for students in the Child and Youth Care program. However, Yalousakis wants students to know that everyone is welcome to get certified in UMAB.

Participants will learn about de-escalation techniques that help prevent aggression from reaching a place where violence is certain. It can also help them be more aware and in control of the situation.

The training also teaches self-defense techniques such as ways to get out of certain holds and standing one’s ground in the event of an attack.

The training UMAB offers goes beyond just learning how to end the aggressive episode, according to Chris.

“One very critical technique which you will learn in UMAB is to put an emphasis on the healing process. After dealing with someone displaying aggressive behaviour we need time to process the situation and gather ourselves before carrying on,” Yalousakis added.

The training will be held virtually on Zoom for day one and at the Casa Loma campus on day two for the physical self-defense techniques.

Students must attend both the sessions to receive the UMAB certificate.

You can register for the training on https://forms.office.com/r/90UkadHYch