By David Benoit
Special to the Reporter

A child stands in the corner of a large cafeteria. Out of a door comes a large man who approaches the youth and asks him if he'd like a ticket to the Red Sox game that night. The youth immediately turns on the man, yells for him to "stand down" and promptly kicks him in the shin.

Score one more success story for the local program RAD Youth at the Murphy Community Center.

It's not a real abduction attempt, but rather the finale to a two-week long training program that shows youths ages five to eight how to defend themselves from predators and strangers. Last Friday, the kids involved got their chance to try out the moves they had been taught on two foam-suited adults, kicking and punching their way to safety.

Karen Ahern, a Boston Municipal Police Officer and the director of the program, says she organizes it every year to help local kids learn what to do in the event of a stranger approaching them.

"In the world we live in today, unfortunately there are a lot of bad people, and it doesn't matter where you live," says Ahern. "[RAD] empowers kids and it instills in them the knowledge that they are capable."

RAD Youth, which stands for "resisting aggression defensively," focuses on teaching children how to tell when they are in a dangerous situation and how to react in a way that will make them the safest. The program covers everything from school bullies, to street safety, and what to do if someone tries to get you into a car. Other topics include the internet, what to do in the event of a fire, animal attacks, firearm precautions, and general at home safety techniques designed to keep kids out of harm's way.

One of Ahern's partners, Frank Hughes not only works in the youth program but also does extensive training with the adult female version of RAD, which is geared towards abduction and rape self-defense. But on Friday Hughes put on a giant red suit and let the little kids do their best to get out of his grasp.

"It teaches self-empowerment, and it teaches them a little bit more about how to defend themselves," he said after taking off the thick padded suit he wore on a day when the temperature topped 90 degrees. "It shows them the difference between good and bad strangers."

About 60 kids participated in the ten-hour program, and on Friday a couple of dozen took their best swings at Hughes and Ahern. The drill consisted of the Michelin-Man-type adult approaching the child and posing a question as to why he or she was alone or telling the child that the would-be attacker was his or her ride home. The youth would promptly get in a defensive stance, with the hockey-gloved hands ready to strike at the abductor, and yell at them to get away. When the adult continued, a swift kick in the shin or the groin would enable the child to then strike the head before making a full speed effort to run away. The entire time a hoard of children cheered them on, some encouraging further damage to be inflicted on the adult groins.

And from the looks of Hughes and Ahern after the hour long session, the kids certainly learned how to defend themselves if they ever feel threatened. But Ahern says she would gladly do the work again if it meant saving just one child.

"I wish every kid in the Boston Public School System could have this," she said. "It's a lot of work, but it's rewarding."