Reflection of Uncertainty
Progress during unprecedented times is relative. It can be compared to initial goals set forth prior to the shift of status quo, OR it can be defined by the ability to pivot, innovate, and persevere amidst a series of situational global uncertainty. Boxing Is Love was not impervious to the hardships that came at the hands of the pandemic, nor did it sit back, with complicity, as the world responded to egregious acts of Social Injustice. Not us. Not Boxing Is Love. The organisation took a different approach. We pivoted – focusing our attention on ensuring the children in our program were safe. We innovated – leveraging new technology to streamline communication with our growing constituency. We persevered – publicly reaffirming our core values/beliefs by aligning with new partners, and assisting existing partners to reach critical milestones despite the inability to travel and be present. By choosing not to be stagnant, we are poised to carry on into next year with a refined understanding of how to make it the most successful year of the organisation’s existence.
Entering 2020 Boxing Is Love had three primary goals;
- Return to Liberia with the biggest team ever assembled
- Break ground on the first Boxing Is Love Gym
- Expand the reach of the programs to new areas of the world
Obviously, due to the global travel ban, we were unable to return to Liberia; however the world still took notice of our efforts. Boxing Is Love saw a 60% increase in volunteer registration, growing our global community to over 2,000. The organisation mobilised a Global Ambassador Program consisting of 20 notable professional fighters, and media figures, representing 13 different countries. This uptick in support allowed us to establish influential partnerships to expeditiously pursue three new expansion sites ready to launch as early as this Spring.
[More information on each location and partners to follow.]
As excited as the organisation is for global expansion, Boxing Is Love is most proud of the growth seen within Liberia. Leaders within townships nationwide maintained weekly Boxing Is Love training sessions with a total participation estimated at 4,000 children and young adults. Congruently, with the help of our partner, Save More Kids, Boxing Is Love officially broke ground on the first Boxing Is Love Gym to be located in Garmu, Liberia. A milestone that, given the circumstances, initially seemed impossible.
However, Boxing Is Love is not naïve to think the uncertainty is over. As we approach the new year, we will do so prepared, but with confidence that there is nothing that cannot be overcome with a defined purpose and irrevocable passion. If you share in the belief of our purpose, and possess a similar passion, please join our crusade by visiting our website, register for our monthly newsletter, and consider supporting our cause. Because with each new supporter, partner, volunteer, and location, it validates the importance of our mission, and proves to the world that Boxing Is Love.
