Sean Gilham from Impact Martial Arts will host a free safety workshop for local children March 26 at Cornerstone Fitness & Wellness Center at 9 a.m.

The Kid Safe Workshop will be held to educate children about mental and physical safety. Gilham will teach about the dangers of strangers, being home alone, bullying and more.

“The mental side of the workshop, when it comes to bullying, is how to say no and going to find a teacher,” said Gilham. “It empowers them and teaches awareness; common sense; how to stay safe; and self confidence, which is being able to tell someone to stop or to say no.”

The workshop teaches children what to do if a stranger tries to attack or abduct them. It also provides safety measures when at home alone and how to handle life situations such as getting separated from parents at the mall.

“The physical side of the workshop they will learn when it comes to strangers is stepping back and getting their boundaries, and if something was to happen how to get loose and yell,” said Gilham. “They will learn different body positions, moving to the side, dropping their weight and running away.”

Gilham will also teach techniques such as striking including hammer fists and front kicks. He will also teach the children blocks and weak areas to strike if someone grabs them.

“I talk to the students about what they’ve learned, and we go over the drills,” he said. “The children and their parents respond to the workshop very well. The parents enjoy it because they learn techniques and it provides them with awareness.”

Gilham has been practicing martial arts for 18 years and has been teaching for six years.

Donations will be taken at the workshop for the Ronald McDonald House charity for those who want to donate.

“With the stories being read or heard lately in the news about bullying at schools and children being abducted, we at Impact Martial Arts hope that these workshops will bring awareness and safety to everyone,” said Gilham.