Second Round uses boxing and fitness as tools to help youth build skills and achieve outcomes in four cornerstone areas:
- Wellbeing (physical and mental health)
- Learning (education and employment)
- Community
- Leadership
Second Round serves youth from across Wake County. The free program serves youth ages 12-21, providing youth with a safe, positive, and structured activity after school and during the summer months. The program operates 3-6 pm Monday-Thursday in the gym at Haven House Services in Raleigh. Haven House Services is a nonprofit that operates 10 programs that help approximately 1,500 youth each year. (You can learn more about Haven House Services at www.havenhousenc.org)
The Second Round gym is equipped with rubber mats, weights, and fitness and boxing equipment - including an amateur sized boxing ring. The program's two coaches are both graduates of the program and stay involved by giving back.
In addition to coaches, the program has a coordinator works individually with each youth in the program to identify and set goals to help youth achieve success outside of the gym. Staff also help youth identify needs across social determinants of health, including housing, food, and transportation, and connect youth to needed resources.
The program served 81 youth last year and is on track to serve at approximately 90 youth this year.
Program Goals include:
Wellness:
- Improve physical health, including improving nutrition and decreasing obesity
- Improve emotional health, including the ability to manage emotions and cope with daily stress
Learning:
- Improve school performance (attendance/grades)
- Improve any problem behaviors at school
Community:
- Increase connectedness to positive peers
- Increase engagement with their community
Leadership:
- Teach core competencies of leadership: communication, decision-making/goal setting, and team building
- Provide leadership opportunities
Recent Impact (last fiscal year results):
- 89% of youth reduced problem behaviors identified in their individual service plan
- 96% of youth in the program had no new court involvement
- 89% of youth demonstrated improvement in targeted skills identified in their individual service plan
About Haven House Services
Haven House Services is a nonprofit that operates 10 programs that help approximately 1,500 youth ages 6-24 each year. Our mission is to help youth be safe, supported, and successful. To learn more about all of our programs, visit www.havenhousenc.org.