This community development project is helping South African youth choose fitness and tutoring over gangs. 🥊📚
Boxing. Why is it so compelling?
From real stars, like Muhammad Ali...
...to fictional fighters, like Rocky Balboa.
Whether you watch as a spectator, or throw blows as a participant…
boxing is one of the best embodied metaphors
for fighting our own weaknesses…
and overcoming our own challenges.
Grassroots Youth Development
I recently learned about a special community project,
Grassroots Youth Development,
that has successfully used the motivating sport of boxing,
to guide youth away from the influence of gangs, and toward
“exercise, nutrition, self-discipline, and clean living. It also provides youth
with a support network and positive role models and provides a place
for children to study and receive tutoring.”
GYD built the dream. The youth came. Now they need a permanent location for themselves, and the land beneath their feet was recently put up for sale!
The goal of this project is to “ensure a permanent location for Grassroots’ activities.” GYD seeks to purchase the land on which they have already been serving their community with helpful services for the past several years. They also hope to improve its facilities.
If you are moved or inspired by any aspect of this project…
If you have an affinity with boxing, South Africa, or youth development…
If you have made smart decisions, and life/crypto, has been generous toward you as a result…
… then would you please help GYD reach its goal by making a donation here? Your contribution will have lasting impact in Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township, which is home to GYD. (Tax receipts will be provided for Canadian donors.)
In the Founder’s own words:
”One of my proudest accomplishments in life was the work I did in South Africa with my boxing coach and friend Jongi Kamko to establish Grassroots Youth Development. Jongi had been running boxing classes out of small shack near his home in Khayelitsha to help keep the kids in his neighborhood out of gangs and away from drugs. But Jongi had bigger ambitions to help his kids develop to their full potential. I worked with him to launch an education program and a feeding program. We borrowed classroom space, organized volunteers, and raised money to buy food and supplies.
Our plan had always been to use boxing as a way to entice kids into the program where they would also receive tutoring and homework help. But when we launched the weekly classes, we saw our numbers swell! We went from just 16 kids to 50 kids attending within the first few weeks. Best of all, the number of girls attending sky rocketed. And parents offered their time to help us prepare snacks and feed the kids during our weekly classes.
Until now we've been borrowing space that belongs to a small health clinic in the neighborhood. That health clinic is closing and selling their land. We have an opportunity to purchase the land which would give Grassroots a permanent home. We’re raising funds to buy the property; otherwise, we won't have anywhere to continue tutoring our kids.
We have until July 2018 to raise $40,000.”
CLICK HERE TO HELP, OR LEARN MORE.
Sharing this post is another great way to help knock-out this goal.
Thank you.
@erikaharris I was a little confused why there were no comments after this post was done 8 hours ago ?? I guess no one had anything to say about making other peoples lives better today than they may have been the day before................
@stokjockey: If I had to pick between a comment being made here, and a donation being made at the site, can you guess which one I'd go with? 😊