MINNEAPOLIS — As the school year winds down, the students inside the gym at the Northside Boxing Club in north Minneapolis are heating up, and pushing through for all the right reasons — ahead of what's expected to be a busy summer on the city's streets.
"We have a lot of shootings going on for different reasons. Most of our youth are the ones dying," explained Mohamed Kayongo, co-founder of the boxing club.
That is why Coach Mo, as the kids call him, is dedicating his time and energy to teaching these youth life skills through the sport of boxing in hopes of knocking out youth related crimes plaguing the city's northside.
"We're developing, we're creating the next generation which we want to be proud of," said Coach Mo.
The lessons being taught there this summer are going far beyond the boxing ring, teaching kids the importance of things like financial literacy, Black history, and even cooking.
"So we thought teaching it here would be a very crucial part of their life as they grow," said Coach Mo. "They stay home, they're not busy, they're not involved in any kind of activities," said Coach Mo.
They're trying to keep kids off the streets at a time when idle young lives are at stake.
"By the time they're done boxing they're going to be really tired, they'll want to go lay down or go to sleep, you know," said Coach Mo.
The Northside Boxing Club's summer camp is Monday through Friday from noon until 6 p.m.
That's because, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, one-fifth of youth related violent crimes happen between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The camp officially starts on the 20th and runs through August 5th, and is free of charge.
Registration for the camp must be done in person at the boxing club.
For more information or if you'd like to donate to the club click here.
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