ESD In Student Accommodation
Empowering students. Supporting safer residential communities.
Student accommodation providers play a critical role in fostering communities where residents feel safe, respected and supported.
Empowered Self Defence (ESD) is an evidence-informed program that supports female and female-identifying students to build confidence, strengthen personal agency and develop practical skills for navigating university life. Through a trauma-informed approach, participants learn about boundaries, assertive communication, recognising warning signs, responding to challenging situations and accessing support when needed.
By helping students build confidence, connection and self-efficacy, ESD contributes to safer and more inclusive residential communities.
Supporting the National Code
The National Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence in Higher Education recognises that creating safer environments requires a whole-of-community approach encompassing prevention, education, support and cultural change.
ESD can complement broader institutional efforts by:
- Supporting prevention and early intervention initiatives
- Promoting confidence, agency and help-seeking behaviours
- Increasing awareness of healthy boundaries and respectful relationships
- Strengthening student engagement with safety and wellbeing programs
- Contributing to cultures of respect, inclusion and belonging
Delivered alongside broader prevention, education and support initiatives, ESD can form part of a comprehensive approach to creating safer residential communities.
More Than Self Defence
ESD is not simply about responding to unsafe situations.
It is about helping students develop the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to navigate relationships, social environments and everyday challenges with greater agency and self-belief.
Participants explore:
- Healthy boundaries
- Assertive communication
- Recognising coercion and manipulation
- Responding to harassment and violence
- Practical safety strategies
- Help-seeking and support pathways
- Confidence and self-efficacy
Part of a Broader Prevention Strategy
Birchtree Foundation recognises that preventing gender-based violence requires action at multiple levels.
While ESD focuses on empowering female and female-identifying students, lasting prevention also requires addressing the social and structural drivers of violence, including gender inequality, harmful stereotypes and unequal power dynamics.
For this reason, ESD is most effective when delivered alongside broader initiatives that promote respectful relationships, gender equality, healthy masculinities and community responsibility.
We actively seek partnerships with organisations delivering complementary programs for boys and young men, recognising that meaningful prevention requires engagement across the whole community.
Flexible Delivery
ESD can be delivered as part of:
- Orientation and transition programs
- Residential wellbeing initiatives
- Women’s leadership programs
- Student safety and prevention programs
- Residential community events
- Ongoing wellbeing and engagement strategies
Creating Safer Communities Together
At Birchtree Foundation, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to feel safe, connected and empowered.
Through ESD, we help students build confidence and agency while supporting accommodation providers to foster safer, more respectful and more inclusive residential communities.