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I USED TO GET IN FIGHTS ALL THE TIME, LIKE I HAD ANGER ISSUES.
I USED TO GET REAL, REAL MAD.
THE ANGER WAS COMING FROM MY DAD NOT BEING THERE, ME NOT BEING ABLE TO DO THINGS THAT
MOST KIDS COULD DO, AND MY MOM BEING AN ALCOHOLIC.
WHEN I’M BOXING I FEEL LIKE I CAN LIKE, ALL THE ANGER THAT I HAVE BUILT UP, I CAN
JUST RELEASE THAT OUT ON SOMETHING THAT’S NOT BAD
YOUTH COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECT STARTED IN 1998 BY MY FATHER JOE SMITH.
IT'S A YMCA PROGRAM.
WE’RE UNDER THE YMCA UMBRELLA OF METROPOLITAN CHATTANOOGA.
WE WORK WITH MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE KIDS THAT ARE REFERRED TO US THROUGH THE JUVENILE COURT
SYSTEM, PRINCIPALS, GUIDANCE COUNSELORS, BUT THEY'RE KIDS THAT’VE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS
AT RISK, AND YOU KNOW, HAVE TAKEN A WRONG TURN OR ARE STRUGGLING SOMEWHERE IN THEIR
LIFE AND THEY NEED THAT EARLY INTERVENTION.
WHAT THE STAFF HERE YCAP IS TRYING TO DO IS TO INTERVENE IN THESE KIDS’ LIVES WHEN THEY'RE
JUST STARTING TO ACT OUT AND GET IN TROUBLE SO THAT YOU DON'T READ ABOUT THEM SHOOTING
ONE ANOTHER IN THE NEWSPAPER.
90 PERCENT OF ALL JUVENILE CRIME TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 3 AND 7.
THOSE ARE THE HOURS THAT KIDS ARE GETTING OUT OF SCHOOL, NO PARENTS AT HOME AND THEY
HAVE THE MOST FREE TIME.
THE KIDS ARE JUST BORED.
THERE'S NOTHING TO DO.
SO THEY GET IN TROUBLE AND THEN THEY HANG WITH THE BAD CROWDS AND THE GANGS.
THEY DON'T HAVE FAMILY, SO THEY THINK THAT THE GANGS ARE THEIR FAMILIES AND THEN THEY
END UP GOING DOWN A WRONG PATH.
WE FEEL LIKE THAT IF WE CAN GET THEM BUSY DOING SOMETHING OUT OF SCHOOL AND DURING THOSE
TIMES THAT WILL DETER THEM FROM GETTING INTO TROUBLE, THAT WE'RE A SUCCESS RIGHT OFF THE
BAT JUST BECAUSE OF THAT.
WHEN YCAP STARTED IN ’98, WE STARTED OUT DOING A LITTLE LEAGUE FOOTBALL TEAM.
AND THEN WE REALIZED THAT WHEN FOOTBALL IS OVER WITH, IT WAS KIND OF LIKE, OKAY WHAT'S
NEXT?
AND SO WE JUST DECIDED, HEY, LET’S TRY BOXING AND GIVE IT A SHOT.
AND WHAT I LEARNED VERY QUICKLY IS THAT I COULD REACH A LOT OF STREET TOUGH INNER CITY
KIDS THROUGH THE SPORT OF BOXING.
SOME OF THEM GET TO FIGHTING IN SCHOOL AND THEN THEY COME HERE AND THEY FIND OUT THAT
THEY'RE NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL.
BUT SOME OF THEM, THE ONES THAT DO GET IN TROUBLE FOR FIGHTING A LOT, AND THEY COME
IN AND WE FOUND OUT WOW THIS KID CAN REALLY FIGHT.
SO NOW HE FINDS OUT HE CAN FIGHT WITHOUT GETTING IN TROUBLE.
SO YOU KNOW THAT'S THE TRANSITION.
WE LOOK AT “AT RISK” AS A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS.
SO, SINGLE PARENT HOMES, A LOT OF KIDS BEING RAISED IN THE STATE CUSTODY OR IN FOSTER CARE.
A LOT OF KIDS BEING RAISED BY GRANDPARENTS.
SO DADS ARE ABSENT FOR A BIG DEGREE.
MANY OF THEM WILL GO HOME TONIGHT AFTER THE PROGRAM IS OVER, THE ELECTRICITY IS TURNED
OFF OR THE WATER IS TURNED OFF.
THERE'S NO FOOD IN THE REFRIGERATOR.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, MY MONSTERS WERE VERY, VERY PRETEND.
AND TO THESE KIDS, MONSTERS ARE VERY, VERY REAL.
KEYVON HAS BEEN WITH US FOUR YEARS NOW. AND, PRETTY TOUGH BACKGROUND, EVEN TO A POINT,
AT ONE POINT IN HIS LIFE, WAS HOMELESS.
WE HAD TO LIVE IN A SHELTER BECAUSE MY MOM AND MY STEPFATHER HAD GOT IN A FIGHT, SO WE
WERE LIVING IN A SHELTER AND IT WAS HARD BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY TWO BEDS AND I HAD TO SHARE A
BED WITH MY BROTHERS.
YCAP JUST STAYED REALLY CLOSE TO THE FAMILY AND HE HAS A GREAT MOM WHO JUST REALLY WANTS
TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR HER CHILDREN, SINGLE MOM. AND WE KIND OF HELPED HER THROUGH THAT
PROCESS, GOT HER IN A HOME.
THEY PROVIDED FOR ME AND MY MOM AND MY BROTHERS.
AND THEY REALLY GAVE US A LOT, BECAUSE WHEN WE MOVED INTO OUR NEW HOUSE, THEY ACTUALLY
HELPED US WITH BEDS, THEY GAVE US NEW TVS, PILLOWS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND LIKE EQUIPMENT FOR THE HOUSE.
OUR STAFF HERE, NUMBER ONE, UNDERSTANDS THAT WORKING AT YCAP IS NOT A JOB, IT'S A LIFESTYLE.
AND WHAT DOES THAT LIFESTYLE MEAN?
WELL THAT LIFESTYLE MEANS YOU'RE GOING TO BE A FATHER FIGURE OR A MOTHER FIGURE.
YOU'RE GOING TO BE A BIG BROTHER FIGURE A BIG SISTER FIGURE.
WE WANT TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY CHILD THAT COMES HERE IS SET
UP FOR SUCCESS.
EVERY DAY WE SPEND ONE HOUR IN WHAT WE CALL GROUP THERAPY AND WE FEEL LIKE IT'S THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING THAT WE DO, BECAUSE WE FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET TO THE GRADES
AND THE ACADEMIC PIECE UNTIL YOU GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.
SOME KIDS, THEY THINK THEY’RE COMING TO YCAP JUST TO BOX.
BUT THEY’RE GETTING A LOT OF OTHER STUFF THAT THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW THAT THEY’RE
GETTING.
AND SO WE TRY TO REALLY TEACH THEM AND LET THEM KNOW THAT IT'S OK TO HAVE PROBLEMS.
AND WHY YOU'RE IN THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE WE'RE ALL HERE FOR A REASON.
I WANTED TO IMPROVE ON MY BEHAVIOR AND LIKE MY GRADES AT SCHOOL BECAUSE I USED TO GET
IN FIGHTS ALL THE TIME.
AND MY GRADES WERE REAL LOW.
I WANTED TO BECOME BETTER.
I WANTED MY GRADES TO BE HIGHER.
I DIDN’T WANT TO BE LIKE THAT NO MORE.
WHAT THE YCAP STAFF IS TRYING TO DO IS TO GET THESE KIDS TO OUTGROW, LITERALLY OUTGROW,
FROM A MATURITY STANDPOINT, THE ADULTS IN THEIR LIFE AND MAKE BETTER CHOICES AND UNDERSTAND
THAT THERE IS HOPE.
WE TEACH THEM THAT LIFE'S GOING TO PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE AND YOU EITHER LAY DOWN OR YOU
GET UP AND YOU FIGHT BACK.
AND THERE ARE GOING TO BE THINGS THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU THAT'S GOING TO BE COMPLETELY
OUT OF YOUR CONTROL BUT HOW YOU HANDLE THAT SHOWS WHAT YOUR CHARACTER IS MADE OF. AND
KEYVON, HE'S A WORLD CHAMPION BOXER AND A GREAT STUDENT AT BRAINERD HIGH SCHOOL.
COMING TO US, BEING ON PROBATION, TO NOW, AN A, B STUDENT, YOU KNOW, FOR US IS JUST
A HUGE SUCCESS.
THE MOST IMPORTANT I LEARNED HERE IS TO BE CONFIDENT, LIKE BE A LEADER, HELP OUT OTHER
PEOPLE THAT’S GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING YOU'RE GOING THROUGH.
AND THEN THEY DON’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT BAD ROAD THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THROUGH
IN LIFE.
BEING SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU AND YOU’RE SEEING LOVE EVERY DAY YOU’RE ABSORBING
THAT LOVE THAT ENERGY AND THAT FELLOWSHIP WITH YOUR BROTHERS AND THEY LEARN HOW TO CARE
FOR PEOPLE.
YOU’RE JUST PASSING IT ON IT’S CONTRIBUTING TO THE CYCLE.
THAT’S THE WIN.
THAT’S THE WIN. AND I GET EMOTIONAL WHEN I THINK ABOUT THOSE KIDS AND WHERE THEY COME
FROM AND NOBODY GAVE THEM A CHANCE.
AND THEY COME IN HERE AND THEIR LIFE CHANGED ALL BECAUSE SOMEBODY CARED.
SOMEBODY CARED.
SO IT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED IN OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES AND I
SAY IT OFTEN.
IT’S JUST LOVING ON FOLKS.
JUST LOVE ON SOMEBODY.
AND THEN YOU CAN CHANGE LIVES.
IF YOU'RE A FAN OF GREATER CHATTANOOGA, SUPPORT IT.
BECOMING A SUSTAINING MEMBER OF WTCI IS EASY AND AFFORDABLE, AND IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.
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