Women’s safety and awareness take center stage ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The Lombardy Region, in synergy with the Italian Judo, Wrestling, Karate and Martial Arts Federation, presented the initiative at Palazzo Lombardia I’m not standing still: learn to defend yourselfa program aimed at transforming sport into a concrete tool for personal protection.
@Lombardy Region
The details of the plan were illustrated by the Undersecretary of the Presidency with responsibility for Sport and Youth, Federica Picchi, who underlined how defense arises first of all from self-confidence, the perception of risk and personal value. The beating heart of the project will be an unmissable open week scheduled from 23 to 28 November 2026. During this week, all women will be able to access free of charge the lessons hosted in the Lombardy gyms affiliated with the federation.
Participants will have the opportunity to test different disciplines including judo, karate, wrestling and MGA, the global self-defense method developed specifically by Fijlkam. The primary objective is not only to teach practical reaction techniques, but to encourage inner growth based on mutual respect and the management of one’s own urban safety.
@Lombardy Region
The educational project in schools against bullying
The joint commitment between the regional institutions and the sports federation does not stop at just the week of open tests, but looks straight to the future by extending its pedagogical value to school desks. The training course entitled Judo: School and Rules, Respect and Relationship, designed specifically for students of lower secondary schools and the first two classes of upper secondary schools, is already operational for the 2026 and 2027 school year. The initiative will involve a total of 40 classes distributed across various institutes in the region, engaged in cycles of 6 meetings led by highly qualified federal technicians.
Through the practice of martial arts, the program aims to provide young people with valid tools for managing conflicts and preventing bullying, strongly reiterating a fundamental educational message. As highlighted by Undersecretary Picchi, true strength never lies in overpowering others, but is rooted in mutual respect. Sport thus confirms itself as a formidable engine of inclusion and civil growth, capable of educating the new generations to peaceful and conscious coexistence.
