She Fights Foundation
Donation protected
Boxing gave me the ability to finally display on the outside the way I felt about myself on the inside: strong, powerful, relentless, unstoppable. I wanted to be able to use what I’d learned in boxing to make sure other women and girls never thought of themselves as less than, or broken, or incapable. I wanted to use that strength to fight the patriarchal system that leads to so many women and girls underestimating their own capacity. If I could teach them boxing in the process, even better.
And so She Fights Foundation was born. I created She Fights to give other girls the opportunity to also feel strong, powerful, relentless, and unstoppable, and provide for them a safe environment in which they could match that strength with vulnerability. We started offering free boxing classes to NYC girls aged 14 to 19 who come from low income backgrounds, first as a pilot program in May of 2016, and officially as She Fights in November of the same year. Most of the girls start the program with the intention to learn self-defense, and while I do want them learn boxing and self-defense, I hope the takeaway is much greater than that.
I don’t want to say that our mission is especially germane now given the current political climate, because our societies have always looked to squelch the voices of strong women, to snuff out those who dare enter realms dominated by men. Our subjugation is not new, and our objectification is not novel. But if our detractors feel more emboldened than ever to speak up, we must be louder, and our resolve to strengthen and lift one another must be relentless.
I hope our boxing program allows our girls to see themselves as forces of nature, unstoppable in their resolve to become their strongest selves. I hope it changes the way the world sees women, and starts noticing the power we possess in our ability to endure and overcome. Ultimately, I want our girls to look at themselves in the mirror and ask, "What can't I do?" I hope they set out to find the answer, and discover that there is little they can’t achieve.
Your donation will help us expand our program, both to increase the number of girls we can serve, and the benefits we provide our students. We will use these funds to purchase:
*gear like boxing gloves, wraps, headgear, and mouthguards
*team shirts
*trips to boxing matches and other team-building outings
* boxing retreats
Check out more about our girls and our mission by visiting our website HERE.
"Boxing made me find that strong girl that was in me but was always scared to come out."
– Ita, 17
"I wanted to show people that I can be strong. I wanted them to understand that a young girl like me is able to be fearless."
– Cinthia, 14
"I decided to try boxing because I want to go out my comfort zone. I hate feeling defenseless and stressed so learning a few moves really helped a lot."
– Dina, 17
"Boxing has made me more confident. All the stress from school is gone and it's just me and the punching bag."
– Xhesika, 18
And so She Fights Foundation was born. I created She Fights to give other girls the opportunity to also feel strong, powerful, relentless, and unstoppable, and provide for them a safe environment in which they could match that strength with vulnerability. We started offering free boxing classes to NYC girls aged 14 to 19 who come from low income backgrounds, first as a pilot program in May of 2016, and officially as She Fights in November of the same year. Most of the girls start the program with the intention to learn self-defense, and while I do want them learn boxing and self-defense, I hope the takeaway is much greater than that.
I don’t want to say that our mission is especially germane now given the current political climate, because our societies have always looked to squelch the voices of strong women, to snuff out those who dare enter realms dominated by men. Our subjugation is not new, and our objectification is not novel. But if our detractors feel more emboldened than ever to speak up, we must be louder, and our resolve to strengthen and lift one another must be relentless.
I hope our boxing program allows our girls to see themselves as forces of nature, unstoppable in their resolve to become their strongest selves. I hope it changes the way the world sees women, and starts noticing the power we possess in our ability to endure and overcome. Ultimately, I want our girls to look at themselves in the mirror and ask, "What can't I do?" I hope they set out to find the answer, and discover that there is little they can’t achieve.
Your donation will help us expand our program, both to increase the number of girls we can serve, and the benefits we provide our students. We will use these funds to purchase:
*gear like boxing gloves, wraps, headgear, and mouthguards
*team shirts
*trips to boxing matches and other team-building outings
* boxing retreats
Check out more about our girls and our mission by visiting our website HERE.
"Boxing made me find that strong girl that was in me but was always scared to come out."
– Ita, 17
"I wanted to show people that I can be strong. I wanted them to understand that a young girl like me is able to be fearless."
– Cinthia, 14
"I decided to try boxing because I want to go out my comfort zone. I hate feeling defenseless and stressed so learning a few moves really helped a lot."
– Dina, 17
"Boxing has made me more confident. All the stress from school is gone and it's just me and the punching bag."
– Xhesika, 18
Organizer
Cristina Gonzalez
Organizer
New York, NY
