Ohana Self-Defense

Ohana Self-Defense provides free empowerment-based self-defense for women and girls 10+ throughout Southwest Washington and the Portland metro area.

Founded by survivors and led entirely by women volunteers, Ohana teaches situational awareness, boundary setting, verbal de-escalation, and practical physical self-defense based on the most common patterns of attack in domestic and sexual violence through a trauma-informed lens.

Our classes are open to all women, survivors and allies alike. No one is required to disclose her history. We meet every participant where she is, while prioritizing access for communities disproportionately impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, and systemic harm -- including friends from BIPOC, human trafficking, LGBTQIA2S+, MMIW, neurodivergent, recovery, senior, sex worker, unhoused, and veteran communities.

Our youth program begins violence prevention early, equipping girls with the skills to recognize unsafe behavior, trust their instincts, establish healthy boundaries, seek help, and break generational cycles of harm.

This year, we're raising funds to keep our classes free, expand our adult and co-ed youth programs, and work toward establishing a permanent training home for our SW Washington community to master these life-saving skills.