Dixwell Campers Box & Grow

Before a dozen young New Haveners got to practicing quick jabs on punching bags at Get ​‘Em Boy boxing gym, they talked with one another about what self-respect looks like and about healthy ways to overcome life’s obstacles. 

That was the scene last Thursday during the conclusion of the first week of a month-long summer camp hosted at the 746 Orchard St. boxing gym. 

The summer camp is for New Haven youth, 8 to 17 years old. It runs this summer from July 7 to August 7. Each day of the week, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Solomon Maye — aka, Coach Solo — and Carla Maye work to develop the campers’ physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

This marks the camp’s seventh year of focusing on providing youth with both an athletic outlet during the summer as well as mentorship with mental health and emotional development. 

The program is a collaboration between Get ​‘Em Boy Boxing and the nonprofit ​“Tha Bridge Corp.”

On Thursday, Coach Solo welcomed the campers with breakfast cereal at around 9 a.m. As students arrived, several immediately gathered outside to play basketball on the outdoor court. 

Coach Solo’s main goal with the summer program is to get each New Haven camper used to daily physical activity. Rather than ​“just sitting around and playing the game all day,” the camp encourages the youth to play football, basketball, and boxing. 

For some of the participants, the summer camp is an opportunity to continue practicing the boxing that they do with Coach Solo during the school year. 

He said on Thursday that the camp introduces youth to physical activities and the importance of moving their bodies daily. It also prepares them to have an ​“athlete’s mindset.”

Typically Carla begins each morning after breakfast by leading the students through different self-reflective activities. During the first week of camp, students discussed what animals they admire and their traits. They also did a thread-and-needle activity that challenged them to focus on approaching challenges humbly and intentionally. 

The goal, Coach Solo said, is to break the stigma of communication not being important, particularly for young Black and brown boys. ​“They need to understand they have superpowers and that it’s fun to be disciplined,” he added. 

The summer camp has five Youth@Work staffers helping to keep the kids motivated. The group also takes field trips, including to Hillhouse High School’s pool. 

The camp serves breakfast and lunch and is open enrollment. It cost $75 per week. Donations from parents and community for water and snacks are also accepted. 

“The goal is to be who I needed when I was their age,” Coach Solo said. ​“When I was a kid running around there was no one I respected enough to listen to or wanted to be around all day.”

During last week’s camp activities, Coach Solo told the students about how, in his youth, he was kicked out of his home by his mother when he was just 13 years old. He said he spent different parts of his young life in prison and homeless. 

“I don’t want them to take that path,” he said. 

Coach Solo’s life changed, he told his campers, when he learned discipline through boxing. The discipline one learns in boxing, he said, is confidence, strategy, safety, and not being reckless.

“All this violence we have is from emotional kids who are afraid to be embarrassed. We’re building up their confidence here so they know they only need to defend themselves when they absolutely feel threatened,” he said. 

Brothers Amare Foster, 12, and Amir Foster, 14, have been boxers with Get ​‘Em Boy Boxing for the past four years. They also help support the summer camp. 

They said that the camp is ​“more than boxing, it’s getting in shape.” 

Amir noted that it’s a safe outlet for youth to avoid being in the streets. ​“They see how hard I work out and look up to me,” he said. 

The group reflected on their week of learning about themselves by recalling the attributes of animals, like a badger, who one student said has the will of a lion, or a wolf, because of its loyalty to its pack. 

The camp activities will continue to focus on helping the youth learn about the impacts of social media and ​“learning basic manners like greeting their elders, introducing themselves in rooms, walking around knowing who they are and discerning if they’re being respected and handle it in healthy ways.”

“We are really focused on giving them the tools to know what it’s like to be in their skin in this society as it is right now,” Carla said. ​“We have to get them before we lose them.”

While reflecting on the week of activities, campers like Amir noted that they’ve learned to set goals for themselves every day and always strive to do better in what they do. 

Other young campers, like middle schooler Hassan, said that he enjoyed hearing Coach Solo’s story of overcoming obstacles like not knowing where he would sleep many nights.

Another student said he learned that perseverance means to overcome obstacles and keep going, even when it seems people are against you.

Fellow camper Eli spoke about the lesson he learned about the difference between listening to someone and hearing them. He said, ​“If you just hear them, it’s just going in one ear and out the other,” but listening is when you reflect on what a person says. 

After Thursday’s reflections, Coach Solo then sent the students off to do their neighborhood run with the counselors. Down Orchard, Munson, County, and Henry streets, the student went for their laps, which totaled about three miles.

Counselor Davaine Graham, 16, said he enjoys that the campers have a role model like him. He said because he rides his bike daily to the camp, he’s now inspired some of the campers to want to bike around the neighborhood too. 

He said he too is learning with the campers how to better socialize with others, follow structure, and learn new things.

Camper Kaiden Scott, 12 said if he wasn’t at the daily camp, he would be lying around at home in bed bored. He added that he’s also now motivated to get his grades up as he heads into eighth grade this year so he can join the football or basketball teams. 

At around 11 a.m., after students finished their run, Coach Solo called out: ​“Alright everyone, put on gloves.” 

Students wrapped their hands to do three rounds of practicing their jabs, then took a 30-second break. 

“If you’re not back in front of the bag by end of break, everybody has to do burpees,” Coach Solo called out. 

At the end of most days, Carla also does a ​“sound bath” with the campers where they lay on the floor to decompress and meditate while listening to wind chimes for the final three-to-five minutes of the day.