Zac Tubbs and Nathaniel Stewart couldn’t pass up a great opportunity when they saw one. Tubbs, a Program Coordinator, and Stewart, an Athletic Coordinator, instruct the Uppercut Crew youth boxing program with the Paulding County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs department.
Since it’s inception in August of 2021, the program quickly rose to being one of the department’s most popular programs. Tubbs and Stewart decided to use the class as an opportunity to speak with their youth on certain topics and issues that they may face in their everyday lives. Keeping with the boxing theme, they labeled these mentoring talks as TKO Talks. These talks lasted around ten minutes per class and were something that the kids quickly became immersed in.
“We were pleasantly surprised with the level of continual engagement from our kids in the program. They seemed to enjoy having these open conversations with our coaching staff from the beginning,” says Tubbs. When the Georgia Department of Public Health offered the opportunity to implement the Coaching Boys into Men program this past spring, Tubbs and Stewart jumped at the chance. After submitting a request to implement the program, the Paulding County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs department was selected as 1 of 15 sites statewide to implement the program.
The Coaching Boys into Men program involves twelve weeks of group discussion on topics such as respect, accountability, relationships, sportsmanship, communication, and creating healthy boundaries. “The program gives us the platform to reach young men in our local community by guiding them in the right direction,” says Stewart.
At the successful conclusion of the program, the recreation department will receive $5,000 to use toward future programming.
