The self-defense course was created in response to a need imposed on us by the strong presence of violence in the society we live in.

In this condition, wanting to dedicate ourselves to our female staff, we thought helping them defend themselves was a priority.

Hence the idea of ​​organizing a course based on the principles of a military fighting method, to be held at our facility.

This was made possible thanks to collaborations with two Italian army professionals, with years of experience in the Folgore Parachute Brigade. The two soldiers started their lesson with a basic idea: practice in order to have a chance to survive in a dangerous situation. Moreover, according to their teachings, when a violent action is taking place we only have two options: remain immobile or try to react. If we know how to apply the second alternative, we have a chance to save ourselves.

From this, one can understand how important it is to have this opportunity, and why we value this course we organized for our employees.

Unexpectedly, we learned that our first strength is given by the aggressor: in the moment of the attack, in fact, they are in a phase of high agitation and our reaction can be incredibly destabilizing.

The study of techniques and exercises was founded on this assumption; participants of the course then needed to become as familiar as possible with them.

The instructors showed us how to react in different dangerous situations, from strangulation to stabbing. Obviously, their expertise provided us with accurate exercise techniques and made it possible to simulate the events where they would be useful.

Our hope is that women at Columbus can go through their daily lives with a greater sense of safety.

This course is part of a much larger company plan that involves organizing a series of initiatives aimed at improving quality of life and providing a feeling of serenity.

This is a decision based on our history and our corporate identity, which focuses on people.

It is a small sign, but we hope that other companies will follow our example, valuing people outside of office hours as well.