The Bloc

The Bloc envisions a Chicago where every young person is the champion of their own life. To achieve this, The Bloc cultivates the love of boxing to provide transformational resources to Chicago’s youth and communities. The sport of boxing allows us to engage youth who want to fight in order to help them fight for success.

Once engaged, fighters receive wraparound support: academic assistance, college trips, exploratory learning opportunities, and connections to adults trained to empower them with individualized resources and opportunities. The Bloc also supports its local community through regular food pantries, supply distributions, and resource fairs. By supporting youth and the community, we aim to create the conditions for peace in our neighborhoods.

The Bloc has maintained 100% high school graduation and college acceptance rates since 2016. Fighters in The Bloc have ended each school year with an average GPA of 3.2 or higher. 90% of fighters who complete a 10-week training camp return for another camp within the year. These results show that youth in the program are happy, hopeful, connected, and supported.

In the coming years, The Bloc plans to expand to become an option for every young person on Chicago’s West Side. When this happens, there will be a palpable shift in the after-school landscape of West Side communities. We will contribute to a Chicago where all young people have space to feel accepted– a place where they are supported in the pursuit of their highest aspirations.