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Punch Program

HOUSTON BROAD BASED COMMUNITY CENTER

Teenagers from violent neighborhoods are stepping through the ropes of a boxing program and discovering they have a fighting chance to change their lives. A lot of these kids get involved in gangs because there’s nothing else for them. There are no other opportunities

We’re trying to work on life coaching and academics, we also work with them on meeting emotional, academic and spiritual needs in terms they understand. We see their attitudes change, their head’s higher, and their eyes brighter.

I have always struggled with religion but now I’m just an open Christian. I always thought my friends would make fun of me. I’m more in tune to that now than when I was a kid,” said Chris (A local Kid at the Gym). “I release a lot of energy and anger thru [boxing]. Coach really helps me out like encouraging me to do well in school and what I need to do.

Life gets hard just like boxing is hard. But, if you persevere, you get through it. Kids who have fought their way through life are now given a fighting chance at changing how their lives end up.

The Program serves youth/young adults between the ages of 10-18 that are involved in or at-risk of becoming involved in negative behaviors that include delinquent/criminal activity, gang activity, substance abuse, verbal/physical aggression, school suspensions, etc.

But more than teaching the fundamentals of fighting, boxing programs have proved to be a useful tool for keeping at-risk youth in school, out of detention centers, and away from the gangs that infest their neighborhoods. 

But boxing is about violence only on the surface. For these young fighters, the sport offers the promise of discipline, a sense of self-worth, and a healthy channel for their aggressions. It is less about violence and more about the avoidance of a darker, more insidious violence that lurks beyond the gym doors. It seems boxing is merely an avenue to show these kids that there are people in the community who are truly invested in their futures.

We’re getting these kids that are considered to be somewhat high-risk to get in trouble and we’re pulling them off the streets, getting them away from gangs, and we’re putting them in the gym so they can channel that energy and that aggression into boxing.

Boxing as a sport saves children from homelessness and witnesses disagreements solved in the ring with a pair of gloves rather than on the street with a pair of guns. The city is lacking in youth centers and YMCAs. The schools too underfunded to sponsor all the programs the children need. Boxing can be used as a conduit to preach the importance of education.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction: We help Youth to Taper down their Drug and Alcohol addiction with a Health Supplement developed by Richie Taub.

The reason why these kids are associating and attaching themselves to these gangs is because they don’t feel any love, Gang members giving those drugs or giving those guns, they take that as a form of love, and in reality they’re not realizing that it’s just a form of abuse.

Many times what a struggling child needs most is to be in a structured and positive environment, removing them from the negative influences that are leading them down the wrong path.

If your child is exhibiting these behaviors, or you are concerned about other students with these behaviors influencing your child, it could be a sign that they could be helped by a change to a more positive environment at HBBCC.

  • Are they rebelling against authority?
  • Have their grades suddenly dropped?
  • Do you fear they may be dabbling in drugs or alcohol?
  • Do they seem to disdain the family?
  • Have they neglected good friends in favor of ones you wouldn’t consider to be good influences?
  • Have they withdrawn from healthy activities?
  • Do they have thoughts of death and fantasies of suicide?
  • Have they radically changed their appearance?
  • Are they spending too much time alone?
  • Is your teen obese or anorexic?
  • Do they have a problem with internet addiction, social media addiction, pornography addiction or video game addiction?
  • Do they demand excessive overnight stays with friends?
  • Have they been running away?
  • Are they obsessive about spending time with their friends?
  • Have valuables gone missing in your home?
  • Do they participate in high risk activities?
  • Do you fear for their safety…for their future?
  • Are they sleeping excessively, or not enough?
  • Have their eating habits changed?

If these questions have raised concerns for you as a parent, please call for a free evaluation that will help you determine whether HBBCC can be a good fit for your child. You may contact the President of HBBCC Hussain Zaffer on Email # youth@hbbcc-punchyouthprogram.org.