Program Name: Champions For Life
RAC: Give a Kid a Dream
Person of Contact: Jacklyn Atkins
In her long professional career, Jacklyn Atkins has a diverse background. From being the Executive Director of Research and Development at AT&T to working with at-risk youth in Long Branch, to traveling to India for similar work. Her travel required long absences from her clients in New Jersey, which became increasingly difficult, eventually leading her to build her own program- Champions for Life.
Operating out of Monmouth and Atlantic counties, Champions for Life hosts 78 active youths between the ages of 8-18 years old participating in boxing lessons, tutoring, leadership programs, and other fitness and wellness regimens. Ms. Atkins has been able to coordinate with local schools to make it a requirement for clients to attend school in order to stay in the program. Many of the youth in the Atlantic County program have been referred to by the juvenile justice system and the Department of Children and Families. Ms. Atkins is working to mirror this program, with the same school partnerships and rules she has developed in Monmouth County, in Atlantic County and is confident that it will see the same enthusiasm and success.
When asked about how no-contact boxing could be constructive for at-risk youth, Jacklyn explained that the discipline that goes into being an athlete- especially in boxing- translates to discipline in everyday life as well. She says there’s a certain level of self-control and restraint that’s required to be successful at boxing including making sure that while a client is learning skills, their opponent isn’t hurt. For at-risk children, these two soft skills- self-restraint and empathy for others- are crucial outside of the boxing ring. In their daily lives, these skills may not be visible to them, so this program does the job of exposing these values.
In fact, as Jacklyn was being interviewed for this post, one of her children walked into her office- he had come to the program right after school with his backpack and Jacklyn told him to start his homework while she finished the interview. While she had hinted that Champions for Life was more than a place to learn boxing, this scene painted a vivid picture of what this program does for the kids in the community. What Jacklyn does goes beyond boxing. She has successfully built a safe place for at-risk children in the community to come in, do their homework, learn a sport, and have the encouragement and support of an adult figure who believes in their future, in a way that they might not have at home.
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