By Michelle Ruschman
One of the most powerful forces on the planet is a parent who is ready to protect their child. When that parent is retired Green Beret, Matthew Docchio, President and Founder of Empower Academy out of Valparaiso, you begin to create a generation of young men and women who have the confidence and skills to take care of themselves. With thousands of families getting ready to launch their young adults into the next chapters of their lives in August, the skills that are taught through Matthew’s courses will provide much-needed peace of mind, especially for families with daughters.
“When I was looking at colleges with my daughter, I became aware of the fact that one out of three female undergrads were experiencing rape or sexual assault. That was a deafening statistic to me, especially when you hear this has been going on for decades. When I started looking at the evidence of incidents that have been happening recently at college campuses around the country, I began thinking that if these kids had had even a fraction of the training I’ve had in Special Forces, we could have increased the odds that the outcome could have been prevented.”
As Matthew has expanded the reach of Empower Academy, he sees that there are potentially two lives that he’s saving through these classes, the student that is being taught and the retired Green Beret he hires to be an instructor.
The motto of the Green Berets is De Oppresso Liber – Free the Oppressed. When these veterans retire, they still have the desire to serve, but in many cases, have nowhere else to put the skills they still carry. Empower Academy gives them an opportunity to protect the next generation and the communities they represent. “These guys can struggle with suicide after they retire, because they can lose a sense of purpose. We are built in such a way that a lot of us need to be fighting the battle for someone who can’t do it for themselves. What better purpose for these guys than to protect our daughters?”
Matthew’s classes don’t teach hand-to-hand combat, but offer the skills to have situational awareness based on an analytical mindset. Ideally, the course runs for two days, eight hours each day, starting at 8 a.m., for no more than 25 participants. For this size, five Green Berets are assigned to teach. So, there is a 5-to-1 student-to-instructor ratio. By the end of those 16 hours, students have learned valuable skills such as knowing how to check if they are being followed by car or by foot, immediately establishing a baseline of normalcy and identifying potential threat by analyzing non-verbal cues, and getting out of a variety of restraints. Students who can visualize themselves reacting appropriately to a variety of scenarios greatly reduce the chance of freezing if the threat becomes real.
If a two-day course isn’t feasible, Empower also offers workshops that are two, four, or seven hours. These classes aren’t just for local female students. These classes can also accommodate community, school and corporate functions throughout the nation. Once you become a student with the Academy, you’re also able to join a network of students who can share information. For example, college students can connect with others who attend the same campus to discuss the safest routes as they navigate their way through campus. It’s not pleasant to think about the different scenarios that can occur, but when you diminish the possibility of individuals becoming a target, confidence begins to replace worry.
If you would like to schedule a class for friends and family or have any additional questions, you can contact Matthew Docchio at 850-573-9110 or email empower.academy.us@gmail.com. You can also go to www.empower-academy.online to support Matthew’s efforts by becoming an Angel to sponsor future students. Instagram: empower.academy.2023
