I may have told you about the women's self defense class I took with an
organization called BAMM --Bay Area Model Mugging. The "Model Mugging"
concept originated more than 20 years ago when a female Black Belt
Martial Artist was brutally attacked. This incident spurred on the
movement to teach women full-force fighting skills. The course
effectively teaches women to use their physical strengths against an
attacker's vulnerabilities.

BAMM teaches students to recognize and assess potentially dangerous
situations, as well as shed negative beliefs about their own abilities
to protect themselves. In 1996, BAMM became a nonprofit with the intent
to reach more disadvantaged women and teen girls through greater
collaboration with community based agencies.

BAMM's mission is simple...to build a safer world, one woman at a time.
One way BAMM does this is by providing scholarships to women and teen
girls so that no woman who wants to take the course is turned away due
to lack of funds. Last year, BAMM awarded $26,000 in scholarships. The
scholarships they offer are funded entirely through donations. BAMM
holds just one fundraiser a year.