#proyectoisleño - New Gym Floor
Donation protected
Instagram search @strikingfitnessfuncional or #proyectoisleño for daily updates of Proyecto Isleño
#proyectoisleño
#proyectoisleño is based in San Andres, a Colombian island in the Caribbean Sea where we're raising money for a desperately needed new gym floor for a local boxing gym here to benefit the local kids.
The first time I came to the island, in early 2015, this abandoned, dilapidated building was a pointless eyesore here on San Andres Island. When I returned 6 months later it was still rather dilapidated but it had been turned into a makeshift boxing gym.
.
After getting to know the former professional boxer who put the gym together after chasing out the vagrants, squatters and drug abusers, Nelson “La Maldad” Manchego, we struck up a good friendship based around a passion for the sweet science, this gritty, grassroots gym and how it can help the youth here.
Coming here every 6 months or so ever since, it has always been on my agenda to stop by and see the developments of the gym. Unfortunately, as this is a tiny island, getting decent boxing gear (gloves, wraps, pads, bags) for the young, dedicated island fighters can be a mission.
Over the past couple of months, I've been living on San Andres and working on #proyectoisleño, with the blessing of Manchego, his family and the community, training the kids as well as helping to renovate the boxing gym.
Back Story
San Andres is a tiny island and has high levels of poverty, it's all too easy for the young people to get caught up in drugs and crime. In fact, most of the crime on the island is committed by youths who don’t have the same opportunities as Colombians on the mainland.
There is very little employment on the island besides construction and hospitality work, so in a lot of ways, through this project the boys are fighting to get off the island to fulfill their talent and create a better life for themselves, in and out of the ring.
Teaching Values
#proyectoisleño’s main objective is to raise the attainment, achievement and aspiration levels of these disadvantaged young people. This will be done through boxing training, teaching them self-discipline and strong values. With the values that boxing and this project can instill in these kids, there are no limits as to where they can go in life.
Since #proyectoisleño began we have organised various talks and Q&A sessions with the local Health Department to talk to the boys and educate them on general health, sexual health, and overall wellbeing.
After promoting #proyectoisleño on Instagram, we were donated 10 brand new sets of gloves and pads from a boxing trainer in Australia. The boys have the option of buying these gloves (at a third of the price) with 100% of the money going back into the project and the gym. So far, two boys have completely paid off their gloves with another three getting very close.
The idea is for the boys to learn the value and to save for the things they consider to be important rather than waste their money on alcohol or drugs.
Raising Money
The second objective is to renovate the gym to make it safer and more comfortable for the kids to train in. Since starting the project, I've been coaching private clients and 100% of the money from this has been used to begin renovations but we're desperately needing a new gym floor.
The gym was started by Nelson Antonio “La Maldad” Manchego Sierra who returned to San Andrés after a successful boxing career abroad. His vision was to open a free-to-all boxing gym to train local kids on the island.
Nelson and a group of his friends and family lobbied local businesses to garner equipment, cement, wood, punchbags, gloves and the like. However, despite the generous donations, El Gimnasio Hermanos Manchego is still very basic with no inside lighting or running water.
At the moment the boys have to train on solid concrete, this poses a serious injury risk as well as causing present and future damage to their joints. The club desperately needs quality rubber gym flooring.
I've been overwhelmed with people asking me how they can help and with this flooring being necessary now anyone can help us by making a donation, big or small.
You can keep up to date with what is happening by searching #proyectoisleño on Instagram.
Juan Manuel's Story
Perhaps one of the achievements so far has been about one of the boys, Juan Manuel, who was brought down to the gym by his cousin who was training with us.
Juan Manuel is 17 years old and had been involved in substance abuse since the age of 14.
Since coming to us, he has been clean, no longer spends time with his old friends, has been allowed to live back with his mother and has saved up enough money to buy his own hand wraps and his own gloves.
#proyectoisleño so far
Since starting on the 5th of March we have:
- Grown from three to ten boys and one girl; forming the San Andres Boxing Team
- Had the World Boxing Association regulate the boys first ever official fights.
#proyectoisleño
#proyectoisleño is based in San Andres, a Colombian island in the Caribbean Sea where we're raising money for a desperately needed new gym floor for a local boxing gym here to benefit the local kids.
The first time I came to the island, in early 2015, this abandoned, dilapidated building was a pointless eyesore here on San Andres Island. When I returned 6 months later it was still rather dilapidated but it had been turned into a makeshift boxing gym.
.
After getting to know the former professional boxer who put the gym together after chasing out the vagrants, squatters and drug abusers, Nelson “La Maldad” Manchego, we struck up a good friendship based around a passion for the sweet science, this gritty, grassroots gym and how it can help the youth here.
Coming here every 6 months or so ever since, it has always been on my agenda to stop by and see the developments of the gym. Unfortunately, as this is a tiny island, getting decent boxing gear (gloves, wraps, pads, bags) for the young, dedicated island fighters can be a mission.
Over the past couple of months, I've been living on San Andres and working on #proyectoisleño, with the blessing of Manchego, his family and the community, training the kids as well as helping to renovate the boxing gym.
Back Story
San Andres is a tiny island and has high levels of poverty, it's all too easy for the young people to get caught up in drugs and crime. In fact, most of the crime on the island is committed by youths who don’t have the same opportunities as Colombians on the mainland.
There is very little employment on the island besides construction and hospitality work, so in a lot of ways, through this project the boys are fighting to get off the island to fulfill their talent and create a better life for themselves, in and out of the ring.
Teaching Values
#proyectoisleño’s main objective is to raise the attainment, achievement and aspiration levels of these disadvantaged young people. This will be done through boxing training, teaching them self-discipline and strong values. With the values that boxing and this project can instill in these kids, there are no limits as to where they can go in life.
Since #proyectoisleño began we have organised various talks and Q&A sessions with the local Health Department to talk to the boys and educate them on general health, sexual health, and overall wellbeing.
After promoting #proyectoisleño on Instagram, we were donated 10 brand new sets of gloves and pads from a boxing trainer in Australia. The boys have the option of buying these gloves (at a third of the price) with 100% of the money going back into the project and the gym. So far, two boys have completely paid off their gloves with another three getting very close.
The idea is for the boys to learn the value and to save for the things they consider to be important rather than waste their money on alcohol or drugs.
Raising Money
The second objective is to renovate the gym to make it safer and more comfortable for the kids to train in. Since starting the project, I've been coaching private clients and 100% of the money from this has been used to begin renovations but we're desperately needing a new gym floor.
The gym was started by Nelson Antonio “La Maldad” Manchego Sierra who returned to San Andrés after a successful boxing career abroad. His vision was to open a free-to-all boxing gym to train local kids on the island.
Nelson and a group of his friends and family lobbied local businesses to garner equipment, cement, wood, punchbags, gloves and the like. However, despite the generous donations, El Gimnasio Hermanos Manchego is still very basic with no inside lighting or running water.
At the moment the boys have to train on solid concrete, this poses a serious injury risk as well as causing present and future damage to their joints. The club desperately needs quality rubber gym flooring.
I've been overwhelmed with people asking me how they can help and with this flooring being necessary now anyone can help us by making a donation, big or small.
You can keep up to date with what is happening by searching #proyectoisleño on Instagram.
Juan Manuel's Story
Perhaps one of the achievements so far has been about one of the boys, Juan Manuel, who was brought down to the gym by his cousin who was training with us.
Juan Manuel is 17 years old and had been involved in substance abuse since the age of 14.
Since coming to us, he has been clean, no longer spends time with his old friends, has been allowed to live back with his mother and has saved up enough money to buy his own hand wraps and his own gloves.
#proyectoisleño so far
Since starting on the 5th of March we have:
- Grown from three to ten boys and one girl; forming the San Andres Boxing Team
- Had the World Boxing Association regulate the boys first ever official fights.
- Organised various educational talks.
- Received the donation of 10 brand new sets of gloves and pads.
- Provide dinner for the boys after training most nights of the week.
- Received two speed bags from a gym in Melbourne.
- Had a local TV station do a story on the project and gym which resulted in many people writing to ask how they could help.
- Repair the dilapidated block walls and repainted the ring's steel-based framed with specialist oil-based paint, which the boys helped with.
- Organised the founder of Doberman Protectores to come to the island and fit the boxing team with professional, custom-made mouthguards.
To see daily videos, photos and stories from our project, search: @strikingfitnessfuncional or #proyectoisleño on Instagram
Organizer
Anthony Costa
Organizer
Bridgeman Downs QLD
