On the 15th November, we hosted our first ever Fight for Peace Immersive Experience event at our London Academy in North Woolwich, an opportunity to show organisations the work we do and for them to step into the shoes of a young person and experience our services for themselves.
We invited a mixed group of organisations and local partners, including some who currently fund us, or have funded us in the past as well as those we have recently built a relationship with.
Led by young people, it shone the light on the authentic voice of inspiring individuals who frequently access our services, as they communicated the story of Fight for Peace from their own perspectives.
Guests were first welcomed by CEO, Lee Hemmings and then ushered by Youth Power and Young Creatives members, Zaynab and Amet into the gym for an immersive boxing session. Fight for Peace member and volunteer coach and youth worker, Tommy, led the session alongside boxing and muay thai coach, Athena. It was a real joy to see everybody so engaged and giving it a shot!
We then moved onto our personal development session in the classroom, expertly led by Personal Development Manager, Leo and Practice and Professional Standards Manager, Maria. To round up, guests stepped into the shoes of our Young Creatives, taken under the wing of Zaynab and Promise to create some social media content on the spot in the form of interviews.
As well as giving guests a special insight into life at Fight for Peace, events like this provide young people with a great opportunity to rub shoulders with some brilliant organisations, allowing them to demonstrate their leadership and organisation skills. It also brings so much value to the experience, as guests are able to hear from young people first hand why Fight for Peace is important to them, and the changes they’ve seen in themselves since being part of the community.
This community is always growing, as emphasised by CEO, Lee who said, “over 1,000 young people accessed our facilities and services this year, and none of this would be possible without the support of our partners.”
“It was great to see so many here at our Academy, as well as some new faces. They really immersed themselves in our daily offering to truly understand what we do and how it impacts the lives of young people,” he continued.
While one of our guests on the day, Kevin Cavanagh, representing ANDigital, shared these kind words about his experience at Fight for Peace:
“I spent a couple of hours with the team at Fight for Peace, who hosted an exceptional immersive experience evening.
This organisation is remarkable, as they offer a unique approach to teaching boxing and martial arts, combined with education and personal development, to help young people reach their full potential.
Witnessing it firsthand and meeting some of the young people was a fantastic experience. The positive energy and sense of community were palpable, and I even stepped outside of my comfort zone and tried a boxing class.”
We are thrilled to hear such positive feedback from guests like Kevin, and to have the chance to steward relationships with those who support us, and build new relationships with those who may not have yet heard about Fight for Peace.
Moving forward, we hope to bring more opportunities for organisations and individuals to participate in such experiences, so keep an eye out for our next Immersive Event!
Thank you to our guests, Laureus, Comic Relief, Tuixen, London Borough of Newham, Savills, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, AND Digital, The Royal Docks Team, West Silvertown Foundation, Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre, art in the docks, Bonny Downs Community Association.
We’d also like to thank the young people and staff who helped make the event run so smoothly, including Amet, Zaynab, Promise and Tommy – absolute champions!
