INDIANAPOLIS — Inside the gym at Vegas Boxing Club on Lafayette Road, the gloves are up and so are the aspirations for youth in a Saturday program run by the non-profit New B.O.Y.
Led by founder Kareem Hines, New B.O.Y. (short for New Breed of Youth) has been operating since 2006 and is dedicated to cultivating and empowering youth through programs, activities and relationship building.
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“It really made me think about life in a better state,” said participant Nykeahme Anderson. “Before this, I didn’t really see myself going anywhere.”
Hines describes the program as not just boxing, but mentorship, self-development and discipline.
New B.O.Y. serves system-involved youth boys ages roughly six to 18 who may be on juvenile probation, referred from the Indiana Department of Child Services, or drawn from the community.
The program emphasizes the mantra “connection before correction,” providing martial arts, sports leagues, leader circles, dinner sessions and field trips to help participants grow in a supportive environment.
One parent, single mother Shadonna Crittenden, brought her son and nephew to the gym.
“There are just older adults that may have went through something… they can impact him, like keep my son’s life on the right track,” she said.
This weekend marked the first boxing event of what will be many sessions at the gym. With the city facing a troubling climate of youth gun violence, Hines and his mentors are hopeful the program will offer a constructive alternative.
“So much gun violence is going on right now — kids his age, kids younger, kids older,” Crittenden said. “This gives them something different to look forward to.”
With more Saturday boxing sessions scheduled, Anderson says this is just the beginning. His message to others: “You’ve got something you can aim for. Come here. It’s more than boxing.”
