Punch Out the Patriarchy

I started She Fights Foundation to offer free boxing classes to young girls aged 14-19 who come from low income backgrounds in NYC. The goal of our program is to foster empowerment in our girls through boxing. We have partnered with Church Street Boxing Gym, who has allowed us use of their space free of charge. We also have some amazing coaches who donate their time to our girls once a week. We have been officially up and running as She Fights since November of 2016, and currently have 15 students. We are working on expanding to other gyms, with the hope of providing the same opportunity to more students. We are also working on partnering with gyms that offer more than just boxing, so our girls have the opportunity to try out other combat sports like Muay Thai and Brazilian Ju Jitsu. In this short time we have seen a change in our students, not just in their skills as boxers, but in their overall confidence. They have said that boxing allows them a healthy outlet for their frustration, and has taught them how to be more patient with themselves. We noticed that when the girls start out boxing, many of them seem afraid of doing something wrong, of looking foolish, or of making a mistake. With time they have learned that it's ok to make a mistake, and that She Fights is a judgement-free space where they don't have to fear doing something wrong.

Funded by Awesome Without Borders (July 2017)