NATI’S HOUSE dba NEUTRAL GROUND

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activities across the board fr the youth across the city of Santa Ana. The newly proposed Neutral Ground Boxing Club will support almost 200+ youth with the first year of the grant with the safe and newly leased facilities and updated efJoril1l7itF)Articipants will engage in physical development through boxing training as well as engage in social -emotional healing through sessions of restorative circles at the end of the training each week. Boxing programs can be used as a sport -based youth development technique to teach life skills to youth within a recreational context (Hemphill et al., 2019). The youth who participate in these activities learn to apply life skills beyond the activity due to the social nature of the program. Perceived life skills are found to be a component that is foundational as it enhances the expectation of hard work/teamwork and encourages positive relationships built within the gym environment (Hemphill et al., 2019). As the research states above, this population struggles with mental health imbalances, economic stressors, physical discomfort, dysregulated structure to routine and social instability. Coupled with potentially abusive homes, family dysfunction, and physical discomfort, the nature of a boxing recreational program that encourages peer to peer interaction, physical activity and social - emotional growth and stability will help to mitigate any maladaptive behaviors, including substance abuse (Shepherd et al., 2021). This population needs a culturally competent program that offers a safe place to feel a sense of belonging, while providing an outlet to kinesthetically work out any potential stressors and enhance physical wellbeing. As our society embraces a post COVID-19 pandemic, Neutral Ground's Boxing Club will positively impact overall development, self-discipline, teamwork and promote a healthier lifestyle which will build peer culture and embrace healthy strategies to promote physical and mental wellness. The youth who attend the boxing program, will also be able to attend restorative circles after the boxing sessions. Restorative circles are an evidenced based restorative practice that draws attention to positive climate and culture, providing a space for children to address their problematic behavior and increase social -emotional behavior strategies (Evanovich et al., 2020). When implemented, prevention and positive responses to challenging behavior is emphasized and a whole -health framework is then adopted (Evanovich et al., 2020). These restorative circles that will be offered after the boxing sessions, allows for a two -pronged approach to address the physical and social emotional health among the youth who engage in the boxing club. It is rare to have a program that takes this two -pronged approach that includes fostering physical and mental wellness. 4. Details of Collaborations with Local Organizations Neutral Ground has been operating in the heart of Santa Ana for the past 30 years and has established a strong network of collaborative partners. The founder, Nati Alvarado, was a teen father himself at the age of 15. His passion to help others and avoid the trauma and heartache that he and his family experienced in his youth have given him the desire to pursue this work and lead his agency with a strong collaborative spirit. His deep commitment to new and existing partnerships demonstrates a strong foundation of collaborative readiness for a wide range of community activities and events. Over the past 10 years Neutral Ground has participated in The California Endowment's Building Healthy Communities (BHC) Initiative within Santa Ana Unified School District, developed the Summer Night Lights Program with funding from the City of Santa Ana which served thousands of youths from all over the city. In addition, Neutral Ground was selected as a partner to provide job preparation and drug abuse prevention in the Prop.47 grant with the alternative education programs within SAUSD and funded to provide Restorative Practices at secondary schools throughout the community. Neutral Ground also implemented the Proud Parent grant in SAUSD which included a collaborative partnership with community agencies and OC Probation Department. The partnership was so successful the Memorandum of Understanding has been renewed although the grant ended several years ago. Throughout the years Neutral Ground has been a reliable and cutting -edge community agency ready and willing to serve the community through collaborations and partnerships with law enforcement agencies, school districts and other community agencies. 5. Innovation in Service/Delivery NG has developed an innovative proposal including evidence -based practices that will prove effective with this uniquely vulnerable population, the NG-Boxing Club will Implement a comprehensive two -pronged approach to developing a boxing Club to promote physical training and social- emotional wellness. Rarely, do programs target two areas of health in one program. This system will support highly impacted youth from COVID-19 challenges. Neutral Ground will be providing a supervisor who will coordinate linkages to urgent resources for the gaps in basic needs while facilitating restorative circles to rebuild social -emotional health. Neutral Ground has a long-standing commitment to serving the most vulnerable and is known for incorporating trauma -informed care into services. Trauma -informed care is a strength -based approach that emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety to create an environment for participants to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment (Hopper, Bassuk, & Olivet, 2010) NG activities will be conducted in safe spaces where youth feel culturally, emotionally, and physically safe. NG staff have extensive training on the evidence -based services, and many have first-hand understanding of the life struggles that impact today' s youth. The majority of the NG- Boxing Club staff members will be from Santa Ana and are culturally proficient and bilingual. NG will maximize the potential of each participant by setting and achieving individualized goals and plans. A famous quote from a student n San Francisco once advised a conference room of service providers, "A child will walk around trouble and away from trouble, if they have someone to walk with and somewhere to walk to." By receiving funding for this multifaceted Boxing Club, Neutral Ground will be able to expand and fulfill this dire need for so many of the lost and impacted youth in our city.