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SALT LAKE CITY — Sometimes all it takes for young adults to thrive is a safe haven and a trusted friend.
Former professional boxer Mario “Fireball” Ramos is committed to providing this kind of sanctuary at State Street Boxing, the nonprofit gym he started. His father, (also named Mario Ramos) is a community activist, and informally taught boxing to at-risk youth for decades. Now, Ramos is partnering with trained therapists to make an even bigger impact in the community through his gym.
With his diverse network of volunteers, Ramos has long provided free athletic training to hundreds of at-risk youth. More importantly, he himself serves as a mentor.
"We started working treatment programs into State Street Boxing about six years ago,” he said. “The gym’s been open since about 2008, but I’ve been doing stuff like this for a long time. After my pro boxing career, I started working at various forms of treatment programs, and I used to incorporate boxing into rehab centers I worked at.”
After recently moving to a larger location, Ramos plans to expand the gym’s offerings so he can touch more lives. A major component of this goal is introducing an on-site therapeutic program under the consultation of Dr. Jacob Ham, director of the Center for Child Trauma and Resilience at Mt. Sinai Hospital, and Suzette Cook, a trauma-informed therapist based in New York City.
“Mentorship is widely regarded as one of the most consistently effective interventions for at-risk youth,” Cook said. “And it’s even more impactful when combined with the kind of emotional support and advocacy that we’re going to implement as we build out our therapeutic program.”
The plan is to provide solid support with a hybrid model tailored to the youth at the gym. According to Cook, this evidence-based approach should deliver many of the positive outcomes associated with strong mentorship, such as lower drug use, lower levels of self-directed and interpersonal aggression, higher rates of academic engagement and lower rates of incarceration. Additionally, the therapeutic support and psychoeducational skills training can help bring higher levels of emotional awareness, an increase in their civic engagement, and decreases in symptoms associated with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.
The new program will also bolster the referral system that enables at-risk youth to connect with State Street Boxing. Currently, the gym partners with Decker Lake Youth Center, the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Explorers Program, Shelter the Homeless and multiple substance abuse programs in the Salt Lake area.
“When the kids come in, a lot of times they’re busted up in different ways,” Ramos said. “(It) could be homelessness, gangs, drug addiction, abuse and stuff like that. They’ve all kinda stopped believing that they have a way out of the situation they’re in.
"Once we get them through our doors, it's not about getting kids into the ring to fight each other. We get them in there to fight their past, fight their addictions and fight for something to believe in. The hope is, that ‘something to believe in’ becomes themselves.”
To learn more about State Street Gym and its mission, you can visit its website. The gym has also launched a GoFundMe initiative* to help raise money for its expanded services, including the new therapy program.
*Disclaimer: KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit or donation you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
