Culture of Safety Dojo & Wellness Center

Culture of Safety is an amazing organization. Whether you're seeing one of their talented practitioners for shiatsu/massage, or you're attending one of their many class offerings, you'll be invited into a safe, inclusive, respectful space. Amy and Kyren are very dedicated to supporting the Rogers Park community, and offering quality educational opportunities for children and adults.

Our five-year-old daughter started taking karate classes here last month. She'd been asking to learn karate for a while, and we did a little searching to find a good fit. The instructors here are fabulous! They are so patient with her wandering attentiveness and always-in-motion body. I love how well they emphasize everyone learning one another's names, ages, pronouns, and building community. When I hear the older kids chatting about the place and community, it is clear that this place and group of people are well loved. The instructors also have rich backgrounds that I feel so fortunate for our daughter to be exposed to. Hopefully her interest in karate sustains so we can become a more integrated part of this community.

There are no words that could express how amazing Sempai Kyren and Sensei Amy are (they own and teach at the dojo)! They bring and infectious excitement, warmth and love to the space! As a queer, neurodivergent person learning new things as an adult can be really hard. Even so, Sensei Amy and Sempai Kyren have supported and nurtured my learning process. With that support and sense of safety I've been able to excel in my karate curriculum. I even learned how to confidently break a board! My wife and I have also been going to classes at Culture of Safety for 2 years and we feel so loved in and out of classes. Sensei Amy and Sempai Kyren will go as far as to check in on us if we've missed multiple classes in a row. I feel so honored to be a part of this karate community!

We love Culture of Safety!!! Their adult karate classes have been fantastic for us (one beginner and one of us with prior training in Shotokan). The class sizes are small and you get lots of individual attention from the instructors, they've even been able to accommodate all of my changing needs so I can keep training during pregnancy! There's such a great sense of community among the students and everyone is really supportive and friendly. For anyone thinking about trying martial arts for the first time or switching from another style to Jin Sei Ryu, we can't recommend them enough!

TLDR: welcoming, experienced, accommodating. highly recommend! I started karate when I was 7 and practiced on and off for about ten years. There were many moments where karate felt very intimidating to me, especially as a kid. There were a lot of rules, there was a lot of listening and taking direction, and the Sensais seemed impressive and strict. I loved how karate made me feel, but I started to dread karate class because I didn’t feel comfortable. Finally deciding to start karate again as a 25 year old was difficult because I remembered how intimidated I used to feel walking into the dojo every week. I chose Culture of Safety because I appreciated their message of accessibility, support, and care, and I’m so glad I did. Right away, I was welcomed into the space, introduced gently to the customs, and guided through the style and practices in a clear, friendly way. Sensai Amy and Senpai Kyren are both incredibly warm and fold newcomers into the established group of students with ease. I was impressed with their ability to refigure practices when needed to ensure they are accessible for all members of the class. I enjoyed stretching and sweating, remembered how much I loved karate’s practices of repetition and focus. I felt relieved to move my body in ways I had done for so many years. After my first class, my hesitancy around starting karate again was completely gone; instead, I was motivated to return, excited to meet friends in my new community, and thankful to have a body and a space that allows me to practice something that I truly missed. I recommend Culture of Safety for anyone looking to feel empowered in their strength, anyone wanting to establish or re-establish a solid mind-body connection, or for those just looking for a safe space to move their body. No need to know anything about karate - you’ll feel welcome no matter what.