CHARLOTTE, N.C. — According to StopBullying.Gov, 20% of students aged 12 to 18 experience bullying nationwide.
As we send our kids off to school, how can we better protect them so they're not just another statistic?
Akeen Brown owns Champs Fitness in Huntersville and said the solution is boxing. His gym’s Youth Boxing Program is for kids ages eight to 17.
"We're trying to have a safe environment for kids to come in, learn boxing, but also just learning how to overcome things together in unity as a community,” Brown said.
The idea to use boxing as a catalyst for kindness might not initially make sense but Brown said it’s what helped him through his childhood struggles.
“When I originally set out to do something for my gym to bring in new members, I thought, well, how can I give back to the community and then I also thought about myself and the things I struggled with growing up, and a lot of them were when I was adolescent, when I was a teenager," Brown said. "I was trying to figure out my identity. I wanted to know where I belong and to fit in and be a part of something, and boxing in the gym became that for me.“
For more information on taking part in the Youth Boxing Program, visit here.