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This video shows exactly why I teach, rather we teach, Bully prevention at MIMA --   We have literally taught hundreds of hours, mostly unpaid to kids from all over the greater Seattle area.  We teach not only the target, but also the kids who bully about tolerance and respect for others and self, and perhaps most importantly, we teach bystanders how to handle it.

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We teach kids, that they have power, and how to use it.   And sometimes that means getting help, the thing that often requires th

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Yes, we can.

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About the Author:

MeLisa Strongheart is a Master Instructor and co-owner at Mercer Island Martial Arts (MIMA), located on Mercer Island very between Bellevue and Seattle in Washington since 1997.  MIMA's curriculum is intentionally designed to build fitness, flexibility, self-defense, as well as to create a milieu which engenders physiological growth, respect, courage, and community activism and leadership.   

MIMA has programs for families to practice side by side, as well as adult, teen,

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Volunteering at the Thrift Store

MITS.jpgWhen I walked into the Mercer Island Thrift Shop for the first time I was ready to tackle my volunteer shift head-on. I got to go into the back of the shop, which was bigger than I first thought. There were stacks of books, boxes of electronics, people carrying in new donations every now and then. It was a really cool place, and everybody was really nice and helpful. On my first two shifts, I got to test the donated electronics to see if they worked correctly. I got to test a lot of things, from

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