The challenge
In many of the UK’s most deprived communities, young people face significant barriers to reaching their potential. The conditions they grow up in can affect their behaviour, wellbeing and long-term prospects.
Many find mainstream services difficult to access or navigate, increasing their risk of unemployment, poor health and involvement in the criminal justice system. Empire Fighting Chance uses boxing to change their story, building trust, strength and hope – guiding them towards safe, healthy and happy lives.
Boxing for Connection
Empire Fighting Chance has developed a methodology to engage young people. Empire blends authentic (non-contact) boxing training with psychologically informed support, delivered by a trusted coach. Young people get the help they need in a way that feels enjoyable, credible and safe.
Impact
Each year Empire Fighting Chance supports over 10,000 young people who develop two core strengths: self-belief and emotional literacy – helping them better understand and manage their thoughts and feelings with confidence. Through participation in its flagship programme, Box Champions, 90% of young people reported feeling more resilient, 85% improved their school attendance and 93% said they felt more confident.
Our role
We have provided multi-year unrestricted funding to support their direct delivery as well as the replication and scaling of their proven model to partners across the country.