A special series of empowerment and self-defence classes will run for young women in January.
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The KYUP project in partnership with Office For Regional Youth are offering the courses, which will for the first time include Indigenous-only workshops to run in the summer school holidays.
Sessions will run in Mittagong, Goulburn and Nowra as part of a regional rollout of the program.
Organisers said the courses are designed to get females of all ages together for a fun, but purposeful school holiday activity.
The workshops teach basics in self-defence in an environment that will empower young women to believe in themselves. A fun, physical workshop, at the core of KYUP!'s programs is the need to ensure females know how to value and protect themselves.
The Indigenous girls only workshops are a new addition to the program and are in response to increased violence against Aboriginal girls and a growing need to support them with a culturally sensitive program.
KYUP! Founder and acclaimed campaigner for women's rights, Mel Thomas has spent a lot of time in remote communities working with Indigenous girls and has seen first-hand the positive impact the workshops have had.
"The girls can relate to the martial arts style of learning which is practical but also about paying it forward and storytelling," Ms Thomas said.
Reports have shown that people are 24 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family or domestic violence in a regional or rural setting compared to living in a major city.
The regional workshops aim to give girls aged 12 to young women aged 24, the skills they need to build confidence and to defend themselves if necessary.
"Knowing your self-worth and that you can fight to defend yourself if you need to, is fun, safe and incredibly empowering. KYUP! is violence prevention education that goes beyond awareness into strong-hearted action to support our children, and in particular our girls and young women to close the confidence gap and break the cycle of violence at a grassroots level," Ms Thomas said.
ABS data shows that domestic or sexual violence rose by 12 per cent from the previous year and that one-in-six women have experienced a form of violence by a partner since the age of 15.
Minister for Regional Youth Ben Franklin said he was a strong supporter of the work being done by KYUP! nationally and was proud to work with the organisation to offer the workshops in regional NSW.
"Although it is a sad fact that workshops like those offered by KYUP! are a necessity for Australian women, the truth is that regional centres desperately need this type of empowering initiative to ensure our women and female children know their worth, and know how to champion their own safety," Minister Franklin said.
Mr Franklin said Ms Thomas was a champion black belt and a domestic abuse survivor and having her at the helm of the workshops meant people got the right skills to protect themselves.
"KYUP! workshops give participants the tools and skills they need to value their safety and well-being, by boosting confidence, working with the women to raise their standards of what they will accept, and to break the silence on domestic violence."
Each of the workshops are free and welcome all females between 12 and 24, but spaces are limited.
Mittagong, January 11 from 2-4pm. Goulburn January 12 from 9am-11.30am and 2pm-4.30pm for Indigenous only.
Nowra is January 13 9am-11.30am and 2pm-4.30pm for Indigenous only.
Register at www.kyupproject.com.au/holidayworkshops
