Support Aztlan Gym: 30 Years of Community Boxing

Support the Aztlan boxing gym to ensure this bedrock community space is around for years to come!

The Aztlan Youth Program is a non-profit organization that offers completely free boxing classes Monday through Friday 5:30pm to 7pm. This gym exists because of generations of people from diverse backgrounds who have maintained it as a safe space for all, with a collective goal of improving the community’s physical, mental and spiritual health. The program serves hundreds of people weekly with participants ranging from small children to seniors.

Currently, the boxing gym requires major restoration to continue to provide a thriving space for community members. Furthermore, as we hope to build Aztlan boxing gym’s programming, we are in need of funding support to ensure that everyone entering the space has the materials needed to participate at the gym. We ask that you support us as we begin this journey of sustainability for the Aztlan boxing gym to ensure this bedrock space in our community will be around for years to come.

The program’s building has been stewarded by the Agredano family for decades. During this time, the stability of the program has always been in question, due to the building being owned by the county. Today, as gentrification is approaching South Tucson, it is time to guarantee the sustainability of this essential and beloved program by donating for essential repairs.

The Aztlan Youth Program and Boxing Gym started over 30 years ago when Vietnam veteran and Jefferson award recipient Joe Agredano identified a need for a positive space for our youth in South Tucson. Today, the program is run by Joe’s daughter and professional boxer, Netta Agredano, who uses boxing to create resiliency, positive self esteem, and empowerment for community members of all ages. The boxing program began to help youth stay off the streets during a time when gangs, drugs, and teen pregnancy were at an all time high, and has evolved into a community space. It promotes the fair treatment of all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or socioeconomic status. While many people come to the gym to learn how to fight and defend themselves, they come to see the gym as a space of safety and support that they can turn to in times of need. At Aztlan, our success is measured by the growth of individuals, who are often surprised by their true potential.

Past gym participants have gone onto impressive futures, many becoming the first people in their families to graduate from higher education. Our gym trainer and other leaders are social workers, who connect the youth in the program to opportunities to find empowering work. Gym members have become social workers, mechanics, nurses, doctors, teachers and so much more.

We dream of a vibrant Aztlan Youth Program that serves people of all walks of life to live a healthy lifestyle. To make this a reality, the program needs your help to ensure the sustainability of the building that has been at the heart of this program for more than 30 years.