African American and Cuban American Join Forces to Fight Sexual Assults on Young Women

Miami (Doral), FL: Officer Cassandra Prolle 36, director of Young Women Facing the Future and Retired Officer Julio Anta 49, self defense instructor met and became friends at South Florida Reception Center a maximum security state prison. In the year 2000 they shared a common concern; they were feed up with violence, sexual molestation, rape and sexual harassment in our society and took action by conducting the first Young Women Facing the Future Self Defense Workshop. On Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 2:00 PM they will sponsor a free community service “Third Annual Young Women Facing the Future Self Defense and Fitness Conference” at Anta's Fitness and Self Defense located on 10721 NW 58 St. Miami (Doral).

The statistics on assaults on women are frightening one out of every three women will experience some type of sexual assault in her lifetime. 85 % of women who immediately resist their attacker are able to escape. Mr. Anta will conduct lectures and a reality based street survival workshop for all women attending. They will be instructed in verbal, non verbal and physical self defense. This conference will empower young women by introducing them to hand to hand combat techniques that will help them to defend against sexual predators and assaults. It will also expand their horizon’s by introducing them to fitness, acting and pet care.

Speakers at the event will be Julio Anta Self Defense/Fitness, Elena Anta Pilates, Roberto Escobar acting workshop, Eric Gonzales dog care and training and Jackie Ojeda of Metro Life Worship Center’s Mercy House. Mercy house is a home pregnant teenagers. Elena is a fully certified Pilates and Fitness Kickboxing instructor. Roberto is a veteran actor who was recently in the Terminator II. He has acted in numerous Spanish Soap Operas. Eric is a retired K-9 trainer for the Department of Corrections. Together they will try to make a difference in the lives of the all young ladies attending this conference.

Julio is a Cuban American former Marine Corps Sergeant, the head instructor and co-owner of Anta's Fitness and Self Defense with his wife Elena. Anta is a Hung Gar Kung Fu Master. He is a certified personal trainer, Fitness Kickboxing, Kettlebell and Haganah F.I.G.H.T. (Fierce Israeli Guerrilla Hand to hand Tactics) Instructor. He was awarded in 2003 the Florida Hall of Fame Martial Arts Instructor of the Year and 2004 Miami Dade County Martial Arts Leadership Award by County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz. In 2005 he was awarded the EFC Black Belt School’s Hero Award and Outstanding Martial Arts School and in 2006 he was inducted in the United States Martial Arts Kung Fu Master of the Year and into the World Martial Arts Union’s Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievements.

Cassandra is an African American mother of three and president of Young Women Facing the Future, a non-profit organization. She is a veteran corrections officer. For years as a young girl she was molested in her own household and did not have anyone to turn to. On February 24, 1999 a mother of six was fatally shot while running from a pay phone that she was using to make arrangements for her son's birthday party. As a local store was being robbed she was caught in the cross fire. The innocent young woman that was killed Deborah Diggs Evans was Cassandra's sister. In memory of her sister she organized a non profit organization to help the young women in her community and make a positive difference in their lives.

Julio and Cassandra’s goal for this workshop is to empower women to defy the odds and expand their horizons by exposing them to self defense, fitness, acting and pet care. Teaching these skills to the girls will help with their self esteem and success in the future. These skills they will cherish for a life time. They believe that through this women’s conference they can make a difference in their community. For more information or to register your daughter for this free workshop call Anta's Fitness and Self Defense at 305 599-3649 or log on to www.antakungfu.com and www.martialartsandfitness.typepad.com.

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