Dal students traded in their usual gym routines last Saturday for something a little different: a trauma-informed boxing session led by Vanity Thompson, a competitive boxer, nurse, and Dal social work student.
The workshop was part of Dal’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, organized by the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
The session opened with a poem about trauma and reconnecting with the body before the session moved into some basic boxing techniques. Participants learned footwork, hand positioning, and how to punch with proper form, eventually working with gloves and pads to release tension from the body.
For Vanity, creating a space like this is personal.
“I hope people walk away feeling like they can breathe again,” she says. “Physically, I want them to feel the strength they forgot they had. Trauma can make you disconnect from your body, and boxing gives that connection back.”
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence
November 25 – December 10: Join Dal's campaign and play your part to help end gender-based violence. See this year's full list of events and activities.
Alongside Vanity were her Pivotal Boxing teammates, Sara and Erica, who helped shape the tone of the workshop. “Sara brings a calming, grounding presence. She can walk into a room and settle everyone’s spirit,” says Vanity. “Erica brings warmth and structure. She watches the room with intention, making sure everyone feels included, supported, and seen.”
I want them to feel the strength they forgot they had.
Participants felt that intention in the room. Sophia, a third-year student, said she appreciated how the workshop reframes vulnerability. “I loved the openness of it and the fact that vulnerability was shown as powerful rather than something fragile,” she says.
For many, the session offered a sense of safety. Clare, another third-year student, said, “I felt really seen in the room. It wasn’t just about boxing, It was about feeling safe and being able to focus on myself. It was easy to let go, and I can 100 per cent see myself trying more things like this.”
Sessions off campus
Vanity has also brought trauma-informed boxing to communities beyond the Dal campus. She and the founder of Pivotal, Holly McDonald, recently led a workshop in Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick. She describes this experience as “powerful, full of emotion, strength, and cultural grounding.”
They taught self-defence to women of all ages while creating space for stories, cultural connection, and intergenerational strength.
“You could feel healing happening in real time,” she says, “Our sessions are never just about punching pads. They are about reclaiming identity, power, voice, and safety”.
Leaving lighter
That emotional safety is exactly what the workshop aims for.
“People come to us looking for safety first,” Vanity said. “Not physical safety, emotional safety. They want a place where they don’t have to explain their trauma for it to be respected. They want to learn how to trust their body again, or maybe for the first time.”
By the end of the session, people left with more than sore arms.
“Walking out of the session, I felt like I was leaving my stress, trauma, and tension behind,” says Clare.