Background to ‘Touching Gloves.’
St Monica’s Boxing Club is a small but influential charity based in the Daisy Hill area of Newry, managed and led by a dedicated team of coaches, trainers, volunteers and trustees.
There are over 60,000 Children and young people aged under 25 in the Newry, Mourne and Down Council area. Added to this is the fact that the club is based in a community, that is unfortunately ranked in the top 10 areas for multiple deprivation in Northern Ireland.
Of particular concern to the club is the fact that crime and disorder statistics place our community in the top 1% of all areas across the country. This is something the club is keen to address.
Working with the PSNI, schools and the Youth Justice Agency, we want to deliver a project that engages young people in positive, life-altering activities and offers alternatives to possible low-level offending, nuisance or Anti-social Behaviours.
However, one huge factor could prevent us from being able to deliver a worthwhile project and that is, as always, Money!!
How Boxing can make a difference
The sport of boxing is a proven motivator for establishing good citizenship and a bridge away from offending behaviours via diversionary activities for at-risk young people or those involved in or likely to become involved in, ‘risky’ behaviours.
By starting a Boxing programme for young people who are ‘known to the police/criminal justice system, we will channel their energy into something productive and instil values such as hard work, discipline, and respect.
The Club will base its primary focus on promoting physical and mental well-being as an intricate part our plans to turn young people away from a path of criminality.
Supporting our work
To do this, we need to call upon our fantastic supporters to fund a range of costs
We recognise that finance can be a major barrier for many young people in our community. St Monica’s has a long tradition of not only supporting our members and subsidising much of their participation but in offering ‘wraparound’ care and guidance, we can and do change lives.
For us, it is about building character and aligning the core values of the club with those of our young people.
Why we are fundraising
As a voluntary community organisation based in an area of low income, we strive to offer activities at low or no cost to beneficiaries. We fully recognise that to do this and continue to pay our bills, we have to look for additional support.
This means that we need funding for coaching fees, buying additional equipment, ensuring everyone has the correct clothing and safety items, paying our own bills and making sure everyone is accommodated and included – even if this means offering transport to and from the club with volunteers to attend training.
What we plan to do
We are keen to involve children and young people who are 'at risk' of becoming involved in 'nuisance' crimes or anti Social Behaviour in our community. Rather than punish young people, we want to encourage them to participate in a 12 week programme that involves attending the club twice a week for fitness and boxing related training, mental health sessions and being guided to a more healthy eating regime.
From 6 January 2025 - 28 March 2025 the 12-week engagement programme, will focus on teaching participants basic drills to advance their overall fitness and wellbeing, but this will be interspersed with 20/30 minute practical guidance sessions focusing on the benefits of healthy living and a balanced, nutritional diet, learning to relax, the benefits of sleep and embracing long term positive changes.
Additionally, they will take part in short advice sessions that focus on developing healthy practices to ensure improved mental health outcomes. These sessions will include meditation and talking therapies
Again, short but targeted sessions will look at discouraging risk behaviours: vaping smoking, drugs, alcohol use, causal sex, and so forth.
We believe that many of the potential participants are themselves either victims of crimes themselves, or at risk of becoming victims. Hence the importance of reminding participants about the consequences of their negative behaviours and actions. Through effects of offending workshops, attention will be placed on the harm that can be suffered by the community and individuals, even by what some may regard as 'horseplay'.
By offering strong, peer role models and mentors during the programme, we will begin to make small changes in each participant's life. the programme will also encourage young people to participate in several 'Outcomes of offending behaviour' sessions and will invite local residents who have been victims of ASB/Nuisance behaviours to share their experiences with the participants
What we will buy with your donations
Personal Safety Equipment including hand wraps, head guards, female chest protectors, mouth guards and so forth;
Coaching costs and volunteer expenses;
A contribution to the club’s ongoing bills including insurance, heating, lighting etc;
We will be able to purchase new sets of boxing gloves for new participants and future beneficiaries
Provision of general well-being and nutritional guidance and support including the cost of delivering specialist advice by professional dieticians and mentl health support.
How you can help
You can go to our crowdfunding page and make a donation.
If you claim one of our REWARDS you can make a gift and at the same time, receive a ‘reward’ from us.
If you are a company, you can choose to offer a reward to our supporters to enjoy once they have donated, such as a discount voucher to spend in your store or offer ‘a buy one get, one free’ deal
Also, as a company, you could consider advertising your brand or company in the club or select an element of our work to sponsor
Leveraging additional support from Sport NI AND Gift Aid
Sport NI has launched its Creating Opportunities Fund to connect communities, enabling more people to take part in sports and physical activity throughout Northern Ireland.
This means that for every pound a supporter donates, Sport NI will match this, up to a maximum of £5,000. This is a great way you can really help with this project.
And more, if you are a UK taxpayer, you can ‘Gift Aid’ your donation. This means that if you donate £10, Sport NI will match it and we can claim 25% of your donation from HMRC.
THIS MEANS THAT A GIFT OF £10 IS WORTH £22.50 TO THE CLUB