How martial arts has helped change the lives of young people at risk of getting into violence

A coach has helped 10 young people turn their lives around by using martial arts to steer them away from street violence.

Steven France, who runs Made 4 The Cage gym in Sunderland invited 10 young people to train with him as part of a programme to help them turn their lives around.

After getting funding from Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner’s Violence Reduction Fund, Steven was able to launch the year long Positive Steps project.

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Ten young people, aged 14 to 23, who might be at risk of getting involved in violence were invited to train with Steven at the gym.

And over the 12 month programme Steven said he saw the participants lives change.

“It was outstanding, it was really good,” he said. “We really wanted to turn their lives around.

“They had never done any training with us before. It’s not just about being the next Connor McGregor, now they can realise other ambitions.”

Steven believes Mixed Martial Arts can help young people who might engage in violence.

“The main thing about mixed martial arts is it’s all about discipline,” he said. “You also have to submit, which is not natural to a lot of young people. It’s not natural for them to be submissive to other people.”

The programme came to an end on Sunday with an event which saw participants take part in a series of bouts at The Point in Sunderland, in front of proud family and friends.

The event was attended by MMA star Davey Grant.

Steven added: “It was an emotional night. The parents were crying.”

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, has praised the project.

“Activities such as this are so important as they provide young people with the chance to do something positive and it shows them that violence doesn’t have to be a part of their life,” she said.

“We already have a range of interventions and activities taking place in Sunderland, where my Violence Reduction Unit is working with key partners to identify individuals causing the most disruption and working with them to change their behaviour to make the city a safer place for residents, businesses and visitors.

“But we need to keep reaching more young people before they get to this point – that’s why our plans for the summer involve more youth workers and more ways to engage young people – and we know this approach works as we seen fantastic results last summer in driving down violent crime.

“If we continue to give young people access to great opportunities like this, we can support them in making better choices for the future.”

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