Joel Levy is a Personal Safety Expert. He is the National Director of the Tom Patire Group, which provides safety services, information, and training to children, teens, and adults. They service individuals, small groups, and large organizations.

Mr. Levy has spoken and presented at many prestigious organizations ranging from the likes of Rutgers University, to the Martial Arts Industry Association at their national convention. He has also spoken to thousands of young people in both public and private schools on how to be safe in school, at home, and in the neighborhood.

Levy has also trained people from all walks of life in both personal and family safety techniques. He has worked with everyone from kindergarteners to senior citizens, and all in between. Joel has been sought out for training by everyday people, law enforcement, and military personnel, both in the United States and abroad.

Featured in a variety of media, he has appeared on television, internet sites, magazines and newspapers. He has also been interviewed on a variety of radio talk shows. In addition to speaking and training, he has also penned numerous articles on the subjects of personal safety, health and fitness, and self-improvement.

One of Levy’s personal missions in life is to spread the message and method of ‘how to live safely and confidently’ to a variety of audiences. His style is passionate and engaging, and he has been described as “highly personable and down to earth.”

A former public school teacher, Levy loves interacting with audiences of all types, and leaving his attendees feeling safer and more confident. He wants all he reaches to view themselves as their own ‘celebrities’, and their own ‘protectors’.

A committed family man, Joel Levy lives in Central New Jersey, with his wife, their three children, and their family dog, whom Levy and his son rescued from a local shelter.

The Child Safety Training programs offered by Levy, broken down by age group, include:

Grades K-2

This course is based on the most common reasons why children end up in the Emergency Room; and more importantly, HOW TO PREVENT THEM. Children learn to recognize sounds which indicate danger, such as glass shattering or the siren of an emergency vehicle, for example. Once they learn what the sound is, and what potential danger it presents, they practice safe movements which go with those sounds, to keep them out of harms way. A ‘virtual safety march’ format is utilized, which is fun for the kids, and keeps them focused and moving.

Grades 3-5

This course is based on the most common lures that ‘bad strangers’ use to abduct kids. It is taught through games, so it is fun and empowering, and the kids feel confident rather than scared. Kids learn the most effective things to scream, how to use obstacles and positioning, and how to make the bad guys want to run away for fear of being caught. Children learn to escape to a safe zone, and also to lock themselves onto objects, or even each other, and draw attention to the situation. They love the fact that this is the one situation in which they are taught just how to become the most difficult child ever!

Grades 6-8

This course teaches children how to escape from a bad stranger if the stranger has their hands on them. They do not learn fighting or martial arts; what they learn is how to use natural movements in order to escape virtually any hold, even from a bigger stronger person. Once they have released the grip, they become experts in how and where to run to safety. Because these kids are older, and more likely to be out on their own, they are taught a combination of self-escape skills, and the skills taught in the Grades 3-5 course. This is taught through empowerment and partner drills, as well as a self-esteem building mindset.

Grades 9-12

This course teaches teens how to escape from the statistically most common grabs using natural everyday movements. Although we don’t like to think about it, almost every teen will find themselves in a situation they just want to GET OUT of, at some time in their life. That being said, we teach them to use movements they already know to escape and get to a safe place. They learn where to go, what to say, and what to do when they get there. More importantly, they learn the reality of how and why things could potentially go wrong, and how to avoid it in the first place. This program leaves teens feeling super-confident, more aware of how to avoid danger, and what to do, if they are confronted with it.