"After submitting credentials and waiting weeks for approval, I arrived at a nondescript office building in downtown Taipei on a Sunday in late May. In the lobby, a security guard asked why I was headed to Kuma. Inside, two serious-looking staffers dressed in black greeted me. They declined to be named or say how many people work at Kuma. They told me I couldn't photograph instructors' or participants' faces without their consent."
""We've received malicious emails from trolls, unidentified parcels in the mail," one staffer told me, declining to reveal details. "Our founder has received threats that they'll make his daughter an orphan," the staffer added."
"Kuma says it has trained around 80,000 people, mostly aged 25 to 45. About 70% of its trainees are women - a stark contrast to Taiwan's traditional civil defense units, which skew heavily male and older. 'There are mostly elderly male citizens within that group - so it only retains the purpose of socializing, which defeats the original purpose of defense training,' said a Kuma Academy employee."
Access to Kuma Academy is tightly controlled, with credential checks, guarded premises, and staffers who restrict photography. Staffers report malicious emails, unidentified parcels, and death threats aimed at the founder's family. Kuma Academy is a nonprofit that trains civilians to prepare for a possible Chinese invasion, offering courses on first aid, disinformation resilience, evacuation, and digital security planning. Founded in 2021, Kuma says it has trained around 80,000 people, mostly aged 25 to 45, with about 70% women. The organization positions itself as a grassroots civil-defense movement that differs from older, male-dominated traditional units.
Read at Business Insider
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