A Community Perspective on Boxing, Well-being and Young People

Abstract

Communities possess various resources, such as sporting organisations, that establish positive relationships with young people whom statutory services may struggle to engage. Boxing has been shown to attract individuals from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, offering proven benefits in areas such as physical health and engagement. When taking into consideration mental and physical well-being, there is limited knowledge regarding the overall well-being benefits of boxing for young people. This study adopts an ethnographic approach within an Inner London community boxing gym to investigate the well-being benefits of boxing for young people. Qualitative interviews, field notes and observations were employed with young people, staff and volunteers. The community identified that boxing provided young people with a changed sense of self, engaged them in a recursive learning process and instilled a sense of belonging, like that of a new family. These factors can all be associated with well-being. The study highlights the significance of community-based resources, such as boxing gyms, in providing support for improving well-being for a diverse cohort of young people. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.