Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Partners with The Angel Band Project to Help Victims of Sexual Violence
Industry: Sports
Brooklyn martial arts students raise over $3,000 to support the healing of victims of sexual violence through music therapy and self-defense.
Brooklyn, NY (PRUnderground) April 9th, 2015
Seeking to return the martial arts to its roots in self-defense, Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s schools sought out an unlikely partner during the month of April: the Angel Band Project, whose mission is to help victims of sexual violence find healing and relief through music therapy. With the support of its martial arts students throughout Brooklyn, the organization was able to raise over $3,000 for the Angel Band Project.
“It’s actually a great match,” says Jason Lynch, head instructor of Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s school on Myrtle Avenue Street. “When people think of martial arts, they don’t think self-defense – they usually think self-offense. Our schools are built around the idea that Jiu-Jitsu can be used as a way to empower the disempowered. Angel Band’s idea is that music can do the same thing, so it makes sense that we would connect.”
The martial art schools – Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s network includes Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Clinton Hill and Columbia Heights/Red Hook – contend that the martial arts can act as a type of therapy. Through intense physical workouts, students are able to exert a sense of control over both their bodies and their minds, an essential component of dealing with trauma like PTSD.
“We have students in our schools who have experienced interpersonal violence, domestic violence and other types of negative situations,” says Chief Instructor Gene Dunn. “In our partnership with the Angel Band Project, we were able to remind everyone here that there are solutions to our everyday challenges.
Like music, the martial arts has traditionally been seen as a source of healing and stress-relief. And, according to the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, research has shown that the physical outlet provided by martial arts can lead to much deeper benefits, including having an impact on the immune and autonomic nervous systems.
Dunn says, “how we deal with ourselves, how we deal with other people, how we manage aggression in our lives, what it means to be a responsible member of the community…these are all part of the curriculum at Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We were glad to be able to realize it through our work with Angel Band this month.”
About Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu believes that the martial arts are about physical fitness, mental discipline and ethical living. We teach that the martial arts have the power to make profound, positive improvements in the lives of those who practice them.
Our mission is to empower individuals to act as agents of transformation both on the mat and in the world. We believe that the timeless principles of black belt – compassion, generosity, discipline, integrity and involvement – can transform our students, their families and their communities for the better.
