Help Dom Find A Permanent Home For Dominat10n
THE PROGRAM: Dominat10n Martial Arts is a jiu jitsu-based program offering jiu jitsu and self defense to both kids (aged 4+) and adults. Classes first began running in July of 2018. We are an inclusive community, welcoming all walks of life regardless of age, ability, orientation, or gender identity.
THE HARDSHIP: We've never had a home to call our own. From our beginnings we've subletted space from other businesses gracious enough to house us. The gesture means the world to us, but many challenges come into play when it comes to autonomy of the space, or flexibility of a full schedule. I've been a one-man show trying to hold things together for the business while also continuing my community work. I've been under-resourced and haven't had the funding necessary to secure my own location for the program, and just as things seemed to finally get a little momentum, the covid pandemic hit. It drained the little savings I had and left Dominat10n a traveling circus bouncing around from site to site almost monthly and even running classes out of a student's garage.
ABOUT ME: My name is Dom Hoskins and I'm the owner of Dominat10n Martial Arts. I have been training in jiu jitsu for 15+ and hold a first degree black belt in the art. I'm an active competitor but my real passion is teaching. As I constantly work to improve myself, I pay the lessons I've learned (both on the mat and off of it) to my students and anyone else willing to lend an ear.
As a person of color, I feel it is my duty to work to be the change I'd like to see in the world and set a good example for other underrepresented groups, particularly kids. This mindset has led me to work extensively with the Youth Jiu Jitsu Collective - a nonprofit teaching mindfulness and jiu jitsu to at-risk youth in inner cities - and the success of that work has led to jiu jitsu being incorporated into course curriculum as a PE elective in several schools! In addition, I've led countless self defense classes for both kids and adults, with my most recent project being the "30 Self Defense Moves in 30 Days" online series that I've collaborated with KRON4's Christina Tetreault on. This project gives people (particularly women) simple and applicable methods of resolving conflict, avoiding confrontation, or defending themselves in real-life situations. I'm also very vocal about the social injustices that exist within our country and speak at rallies as well as in numerous interviews to provide my perspective on what has happened in the past, what we are currently experiencing, and what we can do to build towards a better future. We need to water the garden for things to blossom as they grow!
WHAT YOUR HELP WILL DO: The pandemic affected many of us greatly, but any donation you can provide gets me one step closer to #SmallBusinessRelief and locking down the first ever permanent site for my program. In fact, it gets me two steps closer! Athleta, a women's lifestyle brand under the Gap label, has been kind enough to partner with me and match all donations made to Dominat10n. Not only will this speed up the process on our program getting a home, but I'll be able to then pay for mats, build out the space (painting, cleaning, etc), and add an instructor or two to not only give my students the experience they've deserved for sticking with me through the pandemic, but also relieve my workload a bit and allow me to focus on more of the community work. On that front, proceeds will also allow me to run certain community events in-house, sponsor students who need it, and help me procure materials to better run community events at other locations.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and getting to know my situation. It takes a village to raise a village and with help from the community, I will help the community. Every bit is greatly appreciated more than I could ever express.