A Newry woman has become Northern Ireland’s first Strike Back Self Defence Ambassador – and she has huge plans in the pipeline to help women and girls protect themselves across the country.
As a Strike Back Ambassador, Kerrie Havern will run a franchise for the female self-defence organisation where she will train new instructors and run educational classes aimed at all ages.
The franchise – which will function as a Strike Back Academy – is due to open on May 20 with a mission to end violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland – which is currently regarded the most dangerous place to be a woman in the UK .
It’s most definitely a change of pace for the mum-of-one, who has since 2020 co-run a community-focussed charity with her best friend Yvonne Campbell known as Caring Coins Association.
The charity began with a bucket on Kerrie’s doorstep and grew exponentially to encompass a “home from home” café with a host of continuous free activities and an ever increasing Christmas list that has seen more than 90 families benefit from Christmas gift donations in a single year.
Her work with the charity has allowed her to advocate for women in her community for many years, having spent time working with Women’s Aid Armagh Down and countless other vulnerable adults and children across the county.
Her work has developed a “powerhouse community of women, creating spaces where they feel seen, supported, and stronger together”.
Caring Coins Association has always held that “our community is our responsibility” and Kerrie’s move into self-defence instruction is no different.
The first Strike Back Academy was formed in England by founder, Gulshen Bano and today it invites women from all over the country and beyond to learn the skills to defend themselves and become instructors.
Speaking to Armagh I about her intended roll-out of the scheme across NI, Kerrie said: “Women can come and train with me to be Strike Back instructors and then bring it back to their communities.
“I really feel strongly that this should be rolled out as part of the curriculum too. Girls could then be taught this by their PE teachers so then the instructorship would be us training PE teachers to become Strike Back instructors themselves, so they could then deliver that in a safe zone which would also open up healthy conversations with the boys about why the girls are actually having to learn it.
“With that in mind we could nip violence against women in the bud before the end of secondary school.”
Kerrie had met Gulshen through a networking group where she had volunteered during one of Gulshen’s demonstrations. Captivated by her approach and her teachings, Kerrie knew instantly that Strike Back offered something unique.
“What she was showing us was just amazing,” said Kerrie. “It’s not just going in and teaching them the physical defence. It teaches that as soon as women have left their front door they have left their safe zone and they need to be aware of that and they are not.
Kerrie (left) and Gulshen Bano (front, centre) with fellow newly qualified Strike Back instructors
“It’s teaching them not to walk with their earbuds in, so they know if someone is behind them. Teaching them that if they have a gut feeling that something is not right, to just leg it and get somewhere safe.”
Kerrie believes strongly that there’s no sense in debating the need for female self-defence instruction.
“It exists,” she said. “There’s no point sitting and complaining about why we need to do it. We just do. It’s about taking action.”
And, in taking action, Kerrie has now secured the support of Craigmore Road gym, Fit Club Newry CIC which will become the new home for her Academy.
The scheme teaches women and girls skills that extend beyond physical defence or fighting techniques that are often seen in Krav Maga style classes. With a repertoire of “hundreds” of techniques, Kerrie said the idea is for each one to contribute to an ammunition of copying strategies that are taught to become “muscle memory”.
Explains Kerrie: “The first thing we teach is to run. If it’s in an outside setting, get out of there.
“Even things, these common ideas like carrying your keys as a weapon – it’s no good. What if you drop them or hurt yourself? Keep those keys away from your handbag so that, if it is a snatch, you still have the keys to your car and your house. The keys are to get you to safety, not to use as a weapon.”
To make her dream of nationwide roll-out a reality, Kerrie is hoping to raise approximately £40,000 in sponsorship which will be used to fully train new instructors to assist with trialling the programme in schools.
Announcing Kerrie as a new, fully-qualified instructor in Northern Ireland, Gulshen Bano said: “We are beyond proud to welcome Kerrie Havern to the Strike Back team as our newest instructor in Newry, Northern Ireland!
“She will be leading a Strike Back school, bringing her incredible experience and passion for empowering women to her community.
“Kerrie is a certified amateur boxing coach with extensive experience working with women and children, earning deep respect in her field. She is a true force in her area, regularly working with women in Domestic Violence shelters and vulnerable members of the community — her outreach work is nothing short of exemplary.
“Her dedication, skill, and commitment to making self-defence accessible to all women make her the perfect fit for our mission.
“Welcome to the team, Kerrie! We are so proud to have you stand with us in the fight to equip women with life-changing self-defence skills.
“Thank you Kerrie, for stepping up as Ambassador for Ireland and Northern Ireland. For standing shoulder to shoulder with me, and for refusing to accept the status quo. Together, we are rewriting the future for women and girls.
“And a huge shoutout to the guys at Fit Club CIC for opening your doors and sharing your space, so we can lay the foundations of the first Strike Back Academy.”
