{"id":926,"date":"2013-11-20T13:20:30","date_gmt":"2013-11-20T19:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=926"},"modified":"2013-11-20T14:42:29","modified_gmt":"2013-11-20T20:42:29","slug":"peaceful-warrior-josh-quayhagen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/11\/20\/peaceful-warrior-josh-quayhagen\/","title":{"rendered":"PEACEFUL WARRIOR: JOSH QUAYHAGEN"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"josh<\/a>Local Martial Artist Spreads Anti-Bullying Message<\/strong><\/p>\n

Local mixed martial arts fighting sensation Josh Quayhagen may have made a name for himself by fighting others. But his message to his students and the youths he speaks to in local schools is simple: It\u2019s not cool to bully others.<\/p>\n

Through his Peaceful Warriors program for school-age children, Quayhagen seeks to tell children that \u201cit\u2019s not cool to make fun of others. It is cool to stand up for yourself and for others.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Quayhagen is quick to point out his program doesn\u2019t focus on physical solutions to being bullied. \u201cWe teach kids to be bold and strong in dealing with bullying,\u201d he says. \u201cNot strong physically, but strong in will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quayhagen says his passion for helping kids deal with being bullied and avoid being a bully started at an early age. \u201cFirst, I have little brothers and sisters. I come from a large family, and I\u2019ve seen them be bullied,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

At age 16, already heavily into martial arts, Quayhagen started teaching martial arts classes. And his students, he says, often came to his classes to learn martial arts in order to deal with a bully. \u201cIt broke my heart,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Students came in, says Quayhagen, expecting to \u201clearn to beat someone up. But as they learned, and grew, they developed confidence. They\u2019d walk around holding their heads a little bit higher. And the bullying disappeared. (The students) began to see that there was a way around the bullying problem without resorting to violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quayhagen brings his Peaceful Warrior message to local schools, churches and other organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have demonstrations, do tricks, and have people who can relate to the kids talk with them. We challenge them \u2013 give them missions: maybe to help someone, to say something nice about someone, to get someone else involved in anti-bullying. We teach them that one person can spread love.\u201d<\/p>\n

The people involved in the program, says Quayhagen, aren\u2019t all that much older than the students. \u201cThey\u2019re people the students can relate to,\u201d he says. \u201cWe have a football player, a pro wrestler. We make (the students) laugh, we relate to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, says Quayhagen, the group has made presentations to \u201cevery junior high school in (Calcasieu) parish\u201d \u2014 schools as far away as Anacoco and Bayou Chicot, local private schools; even a local grief counseling program for children who\u2019ve lost family members.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go wherever we\u2019re invited,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The Peaceful Warrior program is also offered regularly at Performance Evolution, Quayhagen\u2019s gym, throughout the summer. \u201cWe offered it three times per week last summer,\u201d he says, \u201cin two four-week sessions. And we plan to offer it on almost the same schedule next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal of the program is simple, says Quayhagen. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to change the mindset that\u2019s involved in bullying,\u201d he says. \u201cKids think it\u2019s cool to tease other kids. That\u2019s just how you fit in. It\u2019s what you do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to change that mindset, to change that norm. We try to tell kids that it\u2019s not cool to make fun of others. We tell them a superhero doesn\u2019t bully others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tell them that real superheroes are strong-willed, stand up for others, and help others. We try to teach kids to be real superheroes.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on the program, or to schedule a visit from the group, call Performance Evolution at 304-8227.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Through his Peaceful Warriors program for school-age children, [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4,81,51,82],"yoast_head":"\nPEACEFUL WARRIOR: JOSH QUAYHAGEN - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/11\/20\/peaceful-warrior-josh-quayhagen\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PEACEFUL WARRIOR: JOSH QUAYHAGEN - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Local Martial Artist Spreads Anti-Bullying Message Local mixed martial arts fighting sensation Josh Quayhagen may have made a name for himself by fighting others. 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