The BMABA Fighting Chance Foundation
What's it all about?
“Everybody Is Capable Of The Extraordinary Ordinary”
We believe in the fundamental rights of human beings to experience life free of poverty, violence and social inequality. We also believe in the intrinsic ‘goodness’ of the human spirit, and the capacity for positive change.
We don’t rely on substantial governmental funding packages to run ‘workshops’ with little to no effect. Instead we work on radical national programmes that can affect long-term community driven change for and within the communities who need it most. We do this by supporting clubs and instructors to do what many already do, supporting students who are most in need, in a way that is sustainable.
Our founding principle is that martial arts can unlock the core skills needed to grow as individuals and as as society; patience, humility, self-discipline, awareness, respect and resilience.
OUR CORE AMBITION IS TO
To tackle poverty, violence and social inequality using affordable, community-driven martial arts training as the catalyst for positive change.
How We Drive Change
"Stand with the disposable, so the day will come when they are no longer thrown away"
We believe in the innate ability of martial arts to positively change lives and transform communities.
Through our specialist programmes and expert network, we enable structured martial arts training and engagement sessions to break the cycle of abuse and poverty, tackle knife crime and intervene in a wide range of social crisis-points – such as disability discrimination, violence against women and girls and male suicide.
We know that martial arts has the ability to have a positive impact within a diverse range of communities. Lessons are an extremely inexpensive way to deliver long-lasting change compared with many other forms of intervention. Martial arts has a way of ‘cutting through the noise’ and reaching those otherwise left out by wider society.
With this comes the opportunity to create a safe space and interrupt the typical cycles of abuse that occur ‘on the outside’. It is from this safe space that the Fighting Chance Foundation reaches those who need martial arts most, and creates the opportunity to change lives.
Our Founder, Giovanni
Born into poverty and through grassroots martial arts at its best, managed to fit his way out and set up the now multi-award winning BMABA and Fighting Chance Foundation.
#PUNCHLIKEAGIRL
"I spent years trying to cope with the trauma of rape. I never believed close-contact combat sports would help me recover."
“I was abused as a young women and spent years gripped with fear and anxiety, especially surrounding close contact with others. If you had told me then that I would find myself at extremely close quarters with men, grappling, and feeling on top of the world I would have spat at you.
The reality is that martial arts has the power to break you down and build you up. It helped me to return to myself. It switched off my mind and put me back in my body. It also helped me to take control of my life by showing my grit, stamina and discipline will always come to bear. I don’t know what I would have done had I not been near enough forced to attend that first women’s only self defence class. It was a turning point in my life and my recovery.”
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME
"Martial arts is the only reason today I am an award winning social-entrepreneur. Without it, I would still be living a life of poverty."
Our very own Chief Executive Officer, Giovanni, grew up in poverty and experienced a family breakdown during childhood due to alcoholism in the family unit. The way in which martial arts calmed and transformed an angry, dejected teenager and ‘built him up’ as a resilient, disciplined entrepreneur is well documented.
