‘Find a way to meet these kids out in the streets where they are’: Youth coach provides safe haven for teens through boxing club

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - After a weekend (March 24-26) shrouded in violence, a Shreveport business owner and coach is doing what he can to make sure that the kids attending his studio beat the odds.

Donny Jackson owns and operates Shreveport Youth Boxing Club. He says he provides a safe place for the area’s teens to better channel their energy.

“Find a way to come together. Find a way to meet these kids out in the streets where they are,” Jackson said. “Come out where they are. People say that the church is a safe place, and it is, but in order to get to those kids that are troubled, you have to leave the church and come where they are.

“That’s been my mission. Go where they are, find out what their problems are, and help them solve them together.”

Jackson says many of the kids he’s encountered were victims of bullying or have friends that fell victim to street violence.

The boxing club’s mission is to enhance the lives of young people through the sport of boxing.

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