NEW DELHI :  The NEW Shop, walks the talk when it comes to true empowerment for its female workforce. The brand that is fast being recognized as India’s only omnichannel convenience commerce company recently conducted a training workshop, for all eighty of its female staff, across all levels, in association with the Delhi Police. The workshop was a one-day session, conducted as part of a quarterly format, covering various topics of self-defense, ranging from basic karate, combat, resistance to attack, and mental toughness. The workshop also trained women in the best responses to non-physical attacks such as eve-teasing, stalking, vulgar gestures, indecent talking, and harassment in public transport.

A lot of the female workforce in India faces harassment in various situations, especially in public areas, or when using public transport. This can lead to a loss of self-confidence and a sense of vulnerability, which can be countered with the right training mechanisms in place. As a company spearheaded by a female co-Founder, as well as one which has a significant percentage of female staff, The NEW Shop feels the need to invest in training techniques to empower its female workforce to deal with such complexities. The brand operates 24-hour convenience stores that sell & deliver fresh food and FMCG products, within 15-30-minute windows. The brand is investing heavily into training and development for all its staff across the board, equipping them with professional and personal skills.

The ‘Empowerment through Self-Defense Workshop for Women’, was a hands-on, interactive workshop that taught women about gender-based violence. Using empowerment as a tool, they were able to recognize signals of potentially unsafe behavior, allowing them to confidently own their space and bodies. The NEW Shop workshop was conducted with the female staff from Delhi-NCR, as was in collaboration with Delhi Police. A videotaped version of the training was shared and distributed to other female colleagues across the country.

“I have been teaching self-defense to women and children since 2014 under the aegis of the Delhi Police as per their initiative of free self-defense training. As a Black Belt in martial arts, I see the necessity of self-defense in all factors of life. It is my life’s ambition to continue teaching self-defense to everyone so they can be self-reliant,” says Jyoti Tiwari, Head Constable of Delhi Police.

Adding to this Aastha Almast, the Co-Founder and Head of Business of The NEW Shop said, “The dream for atmanirbharbharat starts with our women becoming atmanirbhar. I had always wanted to build a culture where I can teach women to be mentally strong to defend themselves because it all starts with the mind. Today, The NEW Shop conducted our first self-defense Training camp for our female colleagues in association with Delhi Police. It was a great session, and we all learned a lot from it. With the phenomenal success of this one, we will be doing this every quarter now.”