protect yourself, protect the planet, protect your mental health
As a teenager going out in the big city you’re exposed to so many dangers that you may not even be aware of right now. Learning how to defend yourself is such an important skill and so the Protect Yourself Campaign was created to make teenagers feel safer in the city by knowing they have the skills to be able to defend themself in case of any danger. The Protect Yourself Campaign has collaborated with Bronx Boxing Gym, where Bronx’s top team members and local self-defence teachers in London will be leading summer outdoor self-defence classes for teenagers to get them out into nature, aiming to positively improve their mental health and learning essential life skills. Martial arts classes have gained significant popularity worldwide. According to a study conducted by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in the United States, there were over 6.9 million participants in martial arts classes in the year 2020.
The Protect Yourself Campaign is a 10 week programme of summer outdoor self defence classes. A core value of the campaign is the environment and getting teenagers out in the outdoors to see the different sites London has to offer and to really appreciate nature and see it in a different light. The creation of the campaign was to help improve teenagers mental health in a different way than usually suggested with options such as therapy or just going for a walk outside. In a survey of over 1,000 American’s conducted by the Martial Arts Industry Association, 72% said they believe martial arts training makes people mentally stronger and be able to discipline themselves better. Studies have shown how yoga classes done outdoors improved mental health so why can’t we do the same but with self-defence classes, helping teenagers feel safer in the world.
The Protect Yourself Campaign has collaborated with and is sponsored by Bronx Boxing Gym. Bronx boxing gym was founded by 2023 Apprentice winner Marnie Swindells, a gold medal winning boxer and award-nominated coach. Marnie says boxing changed her life for the better by helping her mental health, fitness and involving her in a community which the Protect Yourself Campaign has wants to create for its students during this course.
This campaign will be starting this summer on Sunday June 8th 2024, and it will be a 10-week process, ending on Sunday August 17th with the campaign classes going on every Sunday from 9am – 1pm with plenty of breaks at different locations each week to show the teenagers new nature spots around London, to encourage them to see more of the beautiful nature locations London has to offer. The first class will take place in Greenwich Park and when you sign up we will send you more information with the exact location, timings and itinerary.
Each class will only be able to have 60 students maximum with 10 coaches each session being able to have 1 coach per group of 6 to give proper attention to all students so that each student is able to get the most out of the lesson.
Bronx’s team members and local London martial arts self-defence teachers will be leading the classes each week, creating a strong community within this campaign for the teenagers to feel safe in.
This campaign allows teenagers to embrace the outdoors whilst being able to improve their physical and mental health and be able to feel safer in the world knowing they’re able to defend themself, so you don’t want to miss out so go book a session with us.
Our Mission
Protect Yourself
Learning to protect yourself as a teenager growing up in the city is such a key skill to feeling safer and more confident going out into the world where anything can happen.
Protect the Planet
Appreciating all the nature you’re surrounded by in London and how amazing it is and realising that you need to be among those people protecting the planet from harm.
Protect your Mental Health
Your mental health as a teenager needs the most protecting as you go through so much in this time so this campaign gives teenagers a new way to help improve their mental health.
