REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM has "changed my way of thinking." So spoke a recent attendee at one of NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim (RTBAV) corporate seminars. Refuse To Be A Victim is a national grassroots program that helps women and men minimize the risk of becoming crime victims. According to Debbie Goe, a RTBAV Certified Instructor with 13 years of law enforcement experience, this remark from one of her students is quite typical.

On this particular occasion, Goe was instructing a group of women managers from Kraft Foods and noticed that one student was reacting with strong facial expressions to many of the personal safety tips presented. When questioned by Goe after the seminar was over, the woman said that she had been doing all the wrong things, such as leaving messages on her answering machine stating that she would be out of the country. Revealing such personal information can make an individual vulnerable to criminals. The woman suddenly realized during Goe's presentation that she was guilty of numerous actions that could place her in jeopardy.

Helping women and men reach such self-awareness gives Goe great personal satisfaction. In October 1998, which was National Crime Prevention and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Goe taught a seminar to members of the student body at George Washington University at the invitation of the George Washington University Police Department.

The success of this program is directly attributable to the efforts of a dedicated corps of RTBAV volunteer instructors. These men and women recognized the community need for the RTBAV program and were motivated to become instructor certified.

Regional Counselors (RCs), who conduct two-day workshops to certify RTBAV instructors, have had a dynamic impact on the program's growth and effectiveness. Their unwavering dedication to train others how to teach the RTBAV program has set a challenging precedent to interested instructor candidates. The RCs also serve as instructors to the general public.

RTBAV instructors have experienced tremendous success in carrying their safety message to people across the country. They have made major inroads with law enforcement agencies, educational institutions and the health care community. For example, RCs Cynthia Julien and Susan Piscator have worked with law enforcement officers to incorporate the RTBAV program into their communities. In addition, RC and 1997's Most Effective Instructor Alice Tripp have introduced RTBAV's safety tips to a new market by teaching the program to more than 4,000 high school students in the Brazoria County, Texas, school system.

The RTBAV program has also shown businesses and corporations that they can play a major role in contributing to the safety of their employees by having their human resources departments sponsor RTBAV seminars. Vital safety and crime avoidance strategies can thereby be imparted to company personnel. These seminars are extremely popular with employees and can help demonstrate to all staff that their companies truly care about their welfare.

The dedication and hard work of the instructors and counselors have resulted in national recognition by members of Congress. U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms commented in the Congressional Record that "the contributions of the Refuse To Be A Victim program are indeed impressive. This program is a fine example of the type of pro-active safety and security training that the National Rifle Association has long provided to our citizens."

RC Sue Gilliam, who won the 1997 RTBAV award for teaching the most students, remarked, "Wherever I go, people are just clamoring for this program. I taught more than 1,000 students last year alone."

This grassroots program is successful because of the ongoing support from RCs, instructors and the communities they have reached. An outstanding example of this support was provided by the Washington State Microsoft Gun Club, which donated software and design expertise to improve the user-friendliness of RTBAV's Web page on the Internet. RTBAV instructors can now update their seminar schedules anytime by going online.

Stronger than ever and growing rapidly, the program is making a difference in preventing people from becoming crime victims. Today, RTBAV offers women-only and co-ed seminars. Men can also apply to become RTBAV instructors. RC Anne Farrell, who won the 1997 RTBAV award for the best public relations campaign, team-teaches with husband Jack, a retired Washington, D.C., police officer.

RTBAV is celebrating its fifth year. The program currently has more than 700 instructors in 44 states and reaches thousands of new students every year. In less than a year, the RTBAV instructor force has doubled in size due to the hard work and dedication of the RCs. To recognize all of these efforts, 1998 RTBAV instructor award winners will be announced later this month.

To find out about RTBAV's list of seminars, instructor development workshops and how you can make yourself and your community safer, visit RTBAV's Internet Web page at www.nra.org/rtbav/rtbvhome.html, or call RTBAV at (800) 861-1166.