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HEBRON, NE – Omaha’s 88 Tactical has traveled the Midwest, teaching the young and old about the dangers of bullying and abduction, and how to counteract it.
On Wednesday, the training and self-defense organization stopped at Southeast Community College’s Learning Center in Hebron.
“We have roughly 90 different types of classes we teach as part of our curriculum,” senior instructor Shawn Whittington, Jr. said. “We have multiple instructors that different areas of expertise. We train civilians, military and law enforcement.”
25 kids, ages 6-11, partook in a three-hour course Wednesday that teaches students how to deal with bullies and strangers in a non-violent manner.
“The first hour of the class is teaching kids how to deal with bullies in school, not get into a fight, not get expelled or get hurt,” Whittington said. “The second part of the class, the last two hours, were spent on teaching them how to deal with adults who either approach them or try to lure them.
“We’re going to work up to the point where they are grabbed and are going to have to fight back.”
Whittington, who’s helped teach youth at 88 Tactical for about five years, tries to focus primarily on awareness and verbal communication skills when working with children.
“More of the emphasis is on awareness and dealing with a problem and having it not come to a physical confrontation,” Whittington said. “Even at this level with the kids, we try to get them to be more aware of seeing something bad as it’s occurring, and reacting to it sooner rather than having to be faster later on.”
88 Tactical will also make stops at SCC Learning Centers in Wahoo, Plattsmouth and Nebraska City.
