Angie, current Yr 11 student
“Before I was not going to school everyday, being rude to my Nan and the teachers, not having a good education, not letting others learn and not making my family proud of me.
Now I am in school everyday, doing good, making my family proud of me and showing everyone that I have changed. I am putting a smile on my mum and my Nan’s face and if my dad was still alive he would have been very proud of me. After I get good grades in school I would like to go college and study music and after college I would like to be a solo singer, if not to work in a zoo.”
Saleem, current Yr 11 student
"I was a little spoilt boy, just taking everything I wanted. I had my own little crew and we were going down the wrong road stealing, robbing, fighting people who we knew could not defend themselves and just being a bully to everyone.
Now I'm in school, trying to make up for all the work I missed out on in mainstream. I'm going to get a paying job so I can help out my mum with her bills and make her proud of me. I want to build my own house and provide for me and my family."
Chris, current Yr 11 student
"I was involved in gang rivalry for something called ‘protecting your ends’. A lot of my loved ones were stabbed or shot I saw myself next in the line to get hit by the other side. If I carried on going down this road I would have ended up stabbed or even shot. Life is more serious then I thought, it's not child's play where you cause trouble in your neighbour hood and get away with it because you're young.
Now seeing that the hood gave me nothing but trouble and problems, I am trying to stay out of it and educate myself. In the future I would like to have a good decent life and a family."
Fitz, current Yr 11 student
"I was a bad breed, trying to fix up in life but I kept getting distracted by others. I thought I was a bad boy. Now I'm in school with something good in my head I have improved my behaviour and I came second out of the whole school - I am aiming to be at the top. I will be going to college to do my A-levels in Business, Maths and English."
Terry, current Yr 11 student
"Now I am at the Boxing Academy I am doing well, coming into school everyday, paying attention in classes and getting my education. I got the most improved student award! I like going on trips with the Boxing Academy, having fun, learning boxing. I'm gonna get my GCSEs, stay away from prison, own my own company. I can get every thing I want in life, but the right way."
Richard Brown, Head of the Urswick School
“The Boxing Academy has remotivated students who were failing within mainstream schools. It has helped them overcome barriers to learning, transformed their GCSE results and given them an opportunity to become active and successful citizens. The alternative would have been unemployment and potential involvement in crime.”
Mary Honeyball MEP, Claude Moraes MEP, Robert Evans MEP
"The Boxing Academy works in partnership with local schools and has had much success in dealing with the problem of crime and anti-social behaviour among 13-16 year olds in the Tottenham area. Haringey is in the top ten boroughs in the UK for crime and poverty. We believe that any investment in our youth is repaid many times over in the future and we therefore endorse the Academy and the work it does".
Dave Grant, Ex-Borough Commander for Haringey Police
"The Academy assists in reducing youth offending and increasing educational attendance and achievement, but also in teaching these young people many positive skills, including anger management, knowledge of healthy lifestyles, social skills and good citizenship. Indeed the very fact that in the last few years the Boxing Academy has achieved 90% attendance rates and the young people have performed at GCSE above their predictions in a mainstream setting is testament enough of the excellent work being undertaken."
Tony Hartney CBE, Head of Gladesmore Community School
"I am delighted with the excellent and ground-breaking results that the Academy has produced with all their year eleven students achieving GCSEs and going on to further education or employment. I believe there are many young people who urgently need the care, expertise and attention that the Academy provides, and there are many schools who would benefit greatly from a safer, happier and more successful environment."
David Lammy, MP for Tottenham
"For many years this organisation has made a valuable contribution to the lives of young people in my consituency. It has provided a safe and supportive space for young people to pursue academic, physical and emotional success. The Boxing Academy can be credited with complete positive transformations in the lives of many young people in London."
