FY21 Annual Report

And so, our voices against fear and hate have grown louder and more persistent. We are looking to build communities that demand change, embrace diversity and thrive on equity.

As CAE’s board chair, I am incredibly proud to have seen our programs and services accessed by more than 6,500 people in the last year alone, a more than 100% increase from before the pandemic. In the midst of this unbelievably challenging period, CAE has remained committed to helping our communities prevent, disrupt, and heal from hate violence. We rapidly expanded our self-defense and Upstander programming in response to the significant increase in Xenophobia, largely against Asian American & Pacific Islander communities. And virtual workshops enabled us to expand our geographic reach — more than 30% of the people served were from outside NYC, across the US and internationally.

Each time we witness another injustice, I call on all of us to remember that this is the opportunity to harness the collective power of our voices and actions.

And CAE will be there to keep showing us that there is a way to stand against violence as we rebuild. 

I sincerely thank all of you - our donors, supporters and communities, who make it possible to keep striving for a safe and just world.

David Barbee
CAE Chair of the Board of Directors

6,571 People Gained CAE’s Anti-Violence Tools

CAE trained double the number of young people and adults than in years past through empowerment self-defense and techniques for being an Upstander to violence against others. Partnerships with organizations of communities made this possible.

181 Workshops & Trainings Facilitated

Demand surged for Empowerment Self-Defense and Upstander training. We doubled the numbers of people served from years past, though that still did not meet demand. By March 2021, workshops that typically served 15-25 participants were averaging 100+.

Five New Rapid Response Workshops Developed

As stress around hate violence grew, CAE created rapid response workshop curricula to respond to the moment. In May, 302 adults attended “Right to Be Safe: Responding to Anti-Asian Harassment and Violence” and another 300 attended an Upstander training to support delivery workers being harassed, most of whom were Spanish speaking immigrants.

30% Increased Accessibility

Moving to virtual platforms meant CAE could engage a new range of people in training, including more seniors, parents at home with children, people at high risk of street violence, and people with disabilities or vulnerable health conditions. While work in NYC grew by 50%, we also served a new cohort: 30% of those served came from beyond NYC, across the US and as far away as Japan, Italy and Germany.

Expansion of Long-term, Transformational Youth Programming

22 trained High School Peer Educators created a ripple effect against violence, sharing anti-violence tools with 1,878 young people ages 10-18 . Peer Educators worked with CAE staff to adapt CAE’s tools for their peers and to facilitate workshops and community conversations on Zoom as well as at protests and marches, and across social media platforms.

Empowerment
Self Defense

CAE facilitated 73 Empowerment Self-Defense workshops for 2,734 adults, teaching tools that included physical self-defense techniques rooted in martial arts; safety stances for avoiding physical danger in confined spaces; environmental awareness for creating safety options and reducing entry to harmful situations; and verbal assertiveness, de-escalation skills and non-violent communication tools.

“I felt cornered the last time I was harassed. Now I know I can pivot and get out."

“I also learned that there are things I can do to try and avoid physical confrontation [non-violent communication] like stating that I'm not comfortable, in an assertive manner.”

“Particularly valuable was the how and the why of the various moves that was explained throughout the training, along with all the practice. It really helped to get me in a more prepared and less fearful mindset, knowing what I can look out for and why a certain block or hit may work or not.”

Youth Programs

Youth programs served young people ages 10-18 in short-term workshops and year-round, multi-year programs. Our year-round afterschool empowerment program, “Power, Action, Change for Teens” PACT, nearly doubled in size, engaging 83 middle school and high school girls and non binary youth in the weekly virtual program. By hosting workshops and community conversations in partnership with schools, youth programs, local groups and more, 1,878 young people had access to anti-violence tools. CAE's 22 trained High School Peer Educator interns were instrumental in this work, not only in helping to adapt CAE's youth programs to be responsive to what this moment demanded, but by also facilitating workshops and dialogues with their peers on Zoom, across social media platforms and at protests and marches.

“It’s empowering to click on the Zoom link because it’s the type of support you don’t find in NYC all the time.”

”I love how I am not the only one alone with all these thoughts running around in my mind. During quarantine I wasn’t at my best state and I feel like it’s so calming knowing I’m not the only one.” 

“I don’t think I would be as confident in all aspects of my life if it wasn’t for PACT [Power Action Change for Teens].”

“PACT means to me a place where I can be like, okay, I’m not the only one who has gone through this or seen these issues. It makes me not feel alone.”  

“Be patient, be kind, have empathy and make the effort to know your students. It makes a difference in their lives and yours.”

“I see that listening to young people as a whole person, without judgement or assumptions, can be impactful to them.”

“With the events happening around the world that speak to racism, transphobia, xenophobia, gender based violence and more, we can offer space for youth to process and share what they are going through. If you as a teacher are not able or don’t feel comfortable, find other teachers to have that conversation with your young people.”

NYC Location by %

4,626 people served were New Yorkers from across the five boroughs, while 1,946 came from across the United States and as far away as Germany, Italy and Japan.

Race and Ethnicity by %

Gender by %

Age Range by %

Sexual assault, rape and abuse continued to be among the most ubiquitous forms of violence. This violence most commonly occurs through intimate partnerships, with acquaintances or in families. Sexual violence continued to touch all genders with twice the number of women than men reporting experiences of sexual violence in their lifetimes. 

The public scapegoating and accusations of responsibility for COVID-19 hit Asian and Pacific Islanders hard. Jewish and Immigrant communities were also targeted, signaling a normalization of hate violence that escalated to harassment, physical assault and murder of AAPI Americans, who were disproportionately women and seniors.

Along with new targets of hate violence, violence against black and brown folks persisted, even amidst the widespread, visible organizing against police violence. Record numbers of people, significant numbers of them white, reached out to CAE to deepen understanding of xenophobia and racial injustice, and to look with new eyes at their own actions and mindsets that have contributed to perpetuating the experiences of white bodies as the societal norm.

Incidents against LGBTQ+ communities also persisted. Less publicized were the savagely brutal murders of  transgender and gender nonconforming people, most of whom were Black or Latina women. 

Hate violence

CAE’s goal in engaging our communities to respond to the rising Xenophobia, most violently against AAPI communities, was to make connections with the history and legacy of Xenophobia against multiple groups in the United States AND to see Xenophobia as a manifestation of hate violence, which includes long standing racism against black and brown communities and homophobia and transphobia against LGBTQ+ communities.

Gender-based Violence

As violence against women remains one of the most widespread, unchecked forms of violence, and is still not recognized in the United States as hate violence, and trans women, particularly trans women of color are disproportionately targeted, CAE persisted in bringing an intersectional, gender-based lens to all of our programming.

Sexual Violence

CAE continued to take a harm reduction approach to increase access for those in abusive relationships or home situations. People who came to virtual self-defense classes learned techniques and strategies to mitigate risks and get to safety - from de-escalation skills, to nonviolent communication, to physical blocks and strikes specific to small spaces like NYC apartments. 

Anti-Hate safety tips and resources for those most at risk, developed through our partnership with the Asian American Federation.