Background and who we are
Formed in 20
13, Rathfriland Cross Community Amateur Boxing Club is proud of the fact that it welcomes children and young people from a wide range of different backgrounds and cultures and with varying levels of skills and abilities.
We offer a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment to all and we are particularly proud of our successes in boasting our female squad numbers; the number of young people engaged in non-competitive/non-contact training and the wide range of ‘at risk’ beneficiaries we have worked with through our partnership with the PSNI, the Education Authority and Children in Need.
A new focus on children and young people with a Neurodiversity Condition
We are eager to focus our support on children and young people who are neurodiverse and/or may have additional educational or learning needs. We plan to work with the Multi-Disciplinary Team in Rathfriland Health Centre and the Southern Health & Social Care Trust to build a programme that will help those with a neurodiverse condition focus on learning and practising the skills of boxing. We will offer opportunities to socialise and interact with peers, and learn healthy eating habits and methods that will improve their overall physical and mental health.
Exercise and Neurodiversity
Exercise has been proven to be very effective in decreasing stereotypical behaviours in individuals with Neurodiversity. Boxing is proven to improve confidence and focus. It also helps with sleep, quicker reaction times and better memory. Through regular drills and training methods, boxing underlines the positive outcomes of having a routine. It also builds resilience, mental and physical endurance and enables individuals to be more tolerant and respectful of differences.
Working with Children with Neurodiversity
Many with a Neurodivergent condition may experience a sensory overload. This may occur when one or more of the body’s senses are overburdened by too much input. The body reacts to sensory overload as it would to a survival threat. This can trigger feelings of anxiety, panic, confusion, physical discomfort, and a fight-flight-freeze reaction.
A variety of factors, including loud noises, bright lights, strong smells, and busy environments, can cause sensory overload. We want to create an environment within our gym that causes little or no sensory issues for participants.
Much of our focus will be on ensuring we can provide spaces that are designed to help people with sensory sensitivities enjoy sports without sensory overload. This will include soft furnishings, light and temperature controls, and audio-visual features.
General Benefits of Boxing
Boxing, whilst an individual sport, creates a strong sense of connectedness and belonging; it teaches discipline and self-respect; it creates bonds between members, volunteers and coaches, as well as encouraging self-worth and good habits for living a healthy life.
Sessions will be based around skills development, both physical, mental and social. Working in small groups, we will work on building each individual’s confidence, promote their aspirations and teach new disciplines.
Why we need our Crowd’s Support
In order to make our club a fully accessible and neurodivergent-friendly environment, we need to purchase a range of specialist equipment that will support children’s integration into our club. With concerns around the tactile nature of equipment, excessive noise, issues with light sensitivity and so forth, we are seeking support to purchase a range of equipment that is designed to make our gym fit for purpose. To make it fully accessible to anyone with anyone with specialist needs.
This will include specialist lighting, tactile fitness aids, Balance Trainers with Resistance Bands, Pop Up Blackout Sensory Dens to allow for alone time/space, Squeeze Machines/Deep Pressure devices along with the typical personal equipment all boxers require: gloves, mouth guards, hand wraps etc.
Alongside qualified coaches we will also engage external health eating and nutritional facilitators and to ensure positive mental health outcomes, we will offer mindfulness sessions to all participants.
The Club and our Community
This programme is also about our club and is part of what we do, highlighting the fact that we are an integral part of the Rathfriland community and there is a place for everyone regardless of who they are, where they are from or what skills they have.
How to help
There are five simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. If you are a local business, you can help us by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
5. When you do make a pledge, if you are a UK Tax Payer, Gift Aid your donation. We can claim 25% of your donation from HMRC and it won’t cost you anything extra.