Sport Society Success Network have been awarded £39,181 for their ‘Fight for Good’ project to work with young people in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield using boxing as a way to learn new skills.
The funding from the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit was awarded as part of the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Fund that was open to applications in October 2019.
The initiative will run until March 2020 and deliver boxing training sessions designed to help young people improve their attitudes and learn new skills.
The funding will support the delivery of workshops covering topics such as knife crime and substance misuse, which are intended to reduce the likelihood of young people being caught up in violence. In addition to this the funding is also supporting targeted interventions with those already caught up in crime and supporting participation on a boxing based accredited awards scheme using a mobile ring and boxing equipment to target crime and anti-social behaviour hot spot areas helping to divert young people from crime.
Mark Turner, Founder of Sport Society Success Network said: “The project has been designed and planned in order to halt the progression of violence as early as possible.
“Young people that have been convicted of violent offences will be identified and recruited by youth offending teams. Intensive interventions will be offered in order to reduce reoffending rates and impact attitudes and beliefs in order to reduce the likelihood of future offending.
Fight for Good will deliver diversionary activities in key areas and communities identified for youth crime or anti-social behaviour hot spots and accept referrals of young people that have a history of violent offending and those who have served sentences in custody.
We are lucky to have the support of some high profile boxers who will attend sessions and provide inspirational talks to the young people about how boxing has steered them away from being involved in crime.”
The Fight For Good project will be supported by some high profile professional boxers that include Jordan Gill’s Next Generation CIC, Stefy Bull Boxing & Fitness Centre, Brendan Ingle Foundation and Steel City Boxing Gym.
Superintendent Lee Berry, Joint Head of the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit went along to Stainforth Kirton Primary School on Monday, 26 January to take part in an assembly that included Jordan Gill, Former Commonwealth and International WBA Champion.
He said: “It has been a really good day to be part of the assembly in Stainforth Kirton Primary School to see how Fight For Good are engaging with young children in primary schools.
“The coaching session helped us understand how boxing as a platform can work to engage young people and provide them with the information to make their own decisions and positive choices.
“The South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit are funding qualifications for the coaches and the sports coaching courses. It was a good opportunity to see first-hand how the funding will contribute to reducing and preventing violence.”
The boxers attending the coaching session delivered by Quinton Shillingford MBE were – Jordan Gill, Jamie & Gavin McDonnell, Jason Cunningham, Andy Townend.
