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We Don't Break Laws...We Break Jaws!!!

 
History Straight Forward Club (SFC) is a community-based organization that was founded in 1999, by Mr. Ben Bautista, in order to redirect the anger and aggression of at-risk and high-risk youth and young adults and channel it into positive outlets that develop their self-esteem, character and leadership qualities. Mr. Bautista is a former amateur boxer who developed this strategy through his own experiences growing up as a troubled youth in San Francisco. Mr. Bautista designed and developed a program for youth that provides a physical outlet for their rage and frustration while providing support and guidance so that youth and young adults may make good decisions, have consistent access to positive adult role models, and utilize a philosophy for their life that will ensure their success. Mr. Bautista named his program the Straight Forward Club in an effort to reinforce positive and forward thinking among participants. The programs motto, forward forever, backwards never, captures this sentiment. SFC began in the basement of Ida B. Wells Continuation High School, as a lunchtime and after-school program that specifically targeted youth who had exhibited violent and disruptive behaviors. As teachers and other school administrators began to notice a marked difference in the behavior and attitudes of these youth, they began to refer more students to the program. Soon the program was overwhelmed by the demand. As a result, Mr. Bautista made the decision to expand the program to a facility in the Western Addition to serve more youth throughout the City of San Francisco. Our Mission SFC’s mission is to use boxing as a vehicle to combat drug involvement, gang violence, and other criminal activity among at-risk youth and young adults, while developing their mental and physical health, leadership qualities, patience, and capacity for strategic thinking. SFC also serves as an alternative to incarceration for youth and young adults on probation. Although SFC primarily focuses on the sport of boxing, the program utilizes innovative techniques, including counseling and personal coaching, case management, life-skills workshops, and physical conditioning so that youth may experience boxing not just as a sport were they can release tension and aggression, but as a metaphor for life.Home_2.html