SAFE – Training sessions and 2nd meeting in Paris

On 8-9 September, a 2 days training session was organised in Paris, France, to train professionals from the partner’s country on the Therapeutic Fencing Workshop for Sexual Violence Recovery developed by ATPE. It was led by Philippe Pautrat and Olivier Serwar, fencing masters and program managers of the workshop at ATPE. The training was addressed to fencing masters, physiotherapists and psychotherapists and gathered 21 participants.

The training session was followed on 10 September by the second Transnational Partners Meeting (TPM) of the project, hosted by the Alice Milliat Association.

The training session in a brief

Under the supervision of Philippe and Olivier, the fencing masters, physiotherapists and psychotherapists from Belgium, Portugal, and Luxembourg were trained on the first 5 sessions (out of 10) of the Therapeutic Fencing Workshop.

Physiotherapists and psychotherapists were invited to practice fencing exercises while fencing masters were asked to participate in psychological workshops. All exercises were explained both verbally and physically to the participants to encourage embodied understanding.

The objective was to immerse each professional in the dual nature of the workshop’s protocol. Philippe highlighted the importance for fencing masters, physiotherapists and psychotherapists to not remain confined to their usual discipline.

The project next steps

Among the discussions that took place during the TPM, the implementation of the Therapeutic Fencing Protocol in each partner’s country in 2026 was the main one. Indeed, after having completed their training, the professionals from Portugal (AAACM), Luxembourg (FLE), and Belgium (FFCEB) will be responsible for conducting and organizing workshops by themselves. It is a first step towards developing an innovative path for healing through sport and physical activity to women victims of sexual and gender-based violence in Europe.