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First Judo Steps for Women

Supporting Women’s Empowerment through judo

Spela Lampe

At International Women's Forum (IWF) 2022 in Paris, Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Social Sciences and Humanities, emphasised that significant progress has been made on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the past few decades, but current world events from Afghanistan to Ukraine to COVID-19 have shown the fragility of the matter.

In all layers of society, it is necessary to continue to fight for the progress of gender equality in all areas in the direction of a kinder society. One of the tools to achieve this can be martial arts. Using the practical example of judo, the article aims to present how this martial art acts as a catalyst for social change in the local environment. People of all ages and groups enjoy judo equally; in addition, it provides them with non-formal education.

A free program for women from the margins of society

In one of its socially responsible projects, the Judo club Golovec (JCG) from Slovenia, decided to sustainably reintegrate socially excluded women. They developed a program aimed at women from socially vulnerable backgrounds, over the age of 18, regardless of prior knowledge, who want to learn the philosophy of this wonderful martial art. The training is completely free for them and will last from October to June 2023.

”We have been thinking about the program of women's empowerment through judo for a long time. This year we participate in the transnational consortium of the EU-funded project  WONDER M.ARTS (Women Doing Karate and Judo are Empowered from Martial Arts) and we are successfully transferring knowledge from it to the local environment by involving women from the margins of our society” says Nuša Lampe, CEO of the JCG.

Integration of Ukrainian refugee women

15 Ukrainian refugees and 6 women from the local environment practice judo together twice a week. Interlingual communication in Ukrainian, Slovenian, English and Japanese (in judo all techniques are in Japanese) is often a challenge, but it also brings a lot of relaxation and laughter to the practice. It is also necessary to emphasize the importance of promoting intercultural dialogue, which offers an opportunity for the cooperation of participants who are committed to their own cultural values, but are ready to consider different perspectives and learn new things.

Objectives of the program

The main goal of the "Judo for Women" project is the physical and psychological empowerment of women. Its broad objectives are to:

-        promote knowledge of martial arts as a tool for social inclusion, dialogue, and equality;

-        learn how to breakfall correctly and safely to prevent injuries;

-        learn the basics of judo control;

-        promote the continuous practice of martial arts as a tool of empowerment and a factor in the realization of the women's talent;

-        reduce the stereotype of martial arts as a violent sport;

-        promote martial arts education by increasing the development of soft skills

-        stimulate the target involved to develop an awareness of women's rights, as well as the tools for preventing and combating women;

-        get knowledge and awareness of the various forms of violence against women

-        decrease the stereotype of the woman's image

-        promote gender education as a factor of change in relation to sexist behavioural  patterns;

-        promote judo values such as courage, inclusiveness and friendship.

 Using social media to validate the project idea

JCG validated its project idea before starting the project by checking with its followers what women's empowerment with judo means to them. Some of the responses received were:

Getting a sponsor is not a given

Due to the lack of investments in the direction of an inclusive society on the market, JCG is looking for sponsors on its own. They present to potential partners the project, its goals and its impacts on the local environment. It's hard work, they admit. Companies with social responsibility provide the necessary financial resources for the purchase of judogis for project participants, and in cooperation with the judo club they plan and implement a joint promotional campaign on women's empowerment.

Think global, act local

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries around the world.

Sports centers as well as martial arts centers can contribute to the realization of some sustainable development goals:

Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 

By integrating women from the margins of society and thereby improving the quality of their lives in several areas, this project once again shows that judo can be an innovative and effective tool to assist existing efforts to achieve specific goals such as those concerning education and gender equality. Acquiring new skills and transferring them to the local environment is crucial to keeping pace with a global and rapidly changing world. The importance of lifelong learning was already emphasized by Jigoro Kano, who was an educator in his professional life. In JCG, through international projects, they invest in new knowledge and the acquisition of new skills, which then enable them to transfer them to their home club and local society. They firmly believe that the way they attract young people today will determine the prospects for sustainable development tomorrow.

Sources:

https://www.unesco.org

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-advocates-advancement-gender-equality-assises-de-la-parite-france

Judo Golovec Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/judoklubgolovec

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

※ Views in this writing are the author's own.