IMPACT CHICAGO: 25 YEARS OF EMPOWERING WOMEN AND GIRLS TO STAND UP TO VIOLENCE

IMPACT Chicago has reached thousands of people. Its goal is to reach people with disabilities, more youth, more people of color, and more people in the LGBT community in the years to come. On October 14, IMPACT Chicago will celebrate its 25th Anniversary. In a day of workshops, refresher courses, and interactive and creative activities, graduates of the IMPACT Core Program and people interested in IMPACT’s programs will come together to share, remember, and learn. 


As a long-time student of martial arts, Rachel has always been a fighter. But when a person she loved and trusted assaulted her, she found she was unable to do anything about it. The deep emotional wound outlasted the physical wounds, hampering her actions, her sense of safety and self, and undermining her quality of life. That is, until she walked into an IMPACT Core Program where she reclaimed herself, her dignity, and her future.

Rachel is now throwing off the burden of silence and stepping into her life again. She has become an advocate for IMPACT Chicago. “I found a will to live, other women to inspire my life, an organization that not only takes a stand against violence against women but is successfully changing the world one group of women at a time.” She says, “I recommend IMPACT to ANY woman at ANY stage and age in their life. It is so empowering.”

The first IMPACT Chicago (formerly Model Mugging) course was offered in 1987. Then as today, courses are taught by teams of women and men, with women as the lead instructor. As students face an instructor playing the role of an attacker with a personal coach by their side, they use their voices, their awareness, and their bodies to protect themselves. IMPACT Chicago holds that no matter a person’s size or age, she can change the course of events. For more on IMPACT Chicago history, check out
“The beginning," “Building an organization, 1988-1990," and “How IMPACT got its name.”.

Come celebrate 25 years of women and girls reclaiming their lives! The event on October 14 will take place at the Knapp Children’s Center, 3145 West Pratt, in Chicago. 

To signup today, click here.

For more information, call (773) 561-9000 or visit www.IMPACTchicago.org.

By AC Racette, IMPACT Chicago Assistant Director