And finally tonight, you might think of boxing as a tough, aggressive sport.

But a group in Trenton sees it as a solution to gun violence.

The guns down, gloves up summer boxing program is a free initiative that teaches kids in the states capital city more than just how to protect themselves in the street.

It offers lessons of discipline, emotional regulation and, of course, alternatives to violence.

Our mental health writer, Bobby Brier recently stopped by the boxing club that hosted the summer camp and shared what he saw.

Bobby This is such a unique alternative to looking at violence.

Why did these folks tell you that they found it works?

Yeah, you know, salvation and social justice.

Now that the program, the boxing program is in its third year, have really pointed to not only the physical benefits of teaching the art of boxing through the physical techniques and the discipline that comes along with it.

But really, they said that this works because it's the lessons outside of the ring that matter most, really those lessons of of mental health, of emotional regulation.

And it's also self-confidence and self-discipline aspect as well that have proven to be beneficial for kids, not just during these weeks that they're in the summer boxing program, but for well afterwards and for years to come.

So managing those complicated emotions and how that mirrors some complicated situations that they might find themselves in.

Because this this targets what kids who are in the teen years or what age group.

That's right.

So kids between the ages of seven and 17 and they've seen a growth in the program over the years.

So the first summer that they hosted it, salvation and Social Justice saw about 20 to 25 kids enrolled in the program.

Now they have about 45 kids.

As of late July with the capacity to host 50.

So it's really caught a lot of wind in recent years, and I think more so with kids being out of school.

It gives kids a place to go and to learn from mentors and coaches that they really look up to.

What did you find when you went and visited and actually talked to the kids who were participate reading?

I mean, mental health struggles affect every age, but definitely when kids are exposed to trauma like gun violence, it has a different set of lasting effects.

Absolutely.

The kids really spoke to the fact that when they started in the program, they were maybe hesitant to join.

But soon after, maybe the first time they did this, they were eager to go back, not just for the first year, but the second year.

I spoke to one child in particular who spoke about how they had won MVP of the program last year and was excited to try to duplicate that effort this year around.

So it's not only physical benefits of this, but also an emotional support group in terms of friends as well.

There's a camaraderie that's formed outside of the ring and outside of the Ike Williams Boxing Academy.

When kids are back in school, they recognize each other from the boxing program and they're able to form those kind of friendships and relationships for years to come.

Yeah.

So even if they're not necessarily friends, so to speak, they don't need to be enemies, I guess.

Exactly.

And that was something that experts who I'd spoken to for the story had talked about, essentially saying that, you know, just because you're on the opposite side of an issue does not mean you have to be an enemy.

This program really teaches respect for each other and respect for the self.

And in addition to that, it really teaches the power of mentorship and how coaches and mentors from Trenton are really giving back to kids day in and day out through this program, not just now, but also in the months to come.

And so when you look at this and if you consider gun violence as a public health crisis, which it has been deemed, how does this chip away at that?

I mean, this is a small subset of kids.

Of course, they're expanding.

But the problem is widespread.

You know, I think it chips away at it in a couple of different ways.

One of this is really relationship building.

So when you have a coach or mentor who has maybe been through a similar situation, they could talk about, you know, how to avoid those types of situations in the past.

But really, as we've known for a while, exercise in and of itself is really a form of preventative mental health.

There's been numerous studies through the years that have shown the physical benefits of exercising and really how that helps to reduce anxiety, depression and combats some of those lasting symptoms of, say, post-traumatic stress disorder.

So we know that there's both the emotional benefit from relationships, but also the research and the physical evidence to back this up to say that these types of programs are truly beneficial for the long term.

Well, it was a really beautiful piece.

I enjoyed both your writing and the video that our colleague Genesis shot to go along with it.

Folks can, of course, check both of those out on the website.

Bobby Brier, thank you so much.

Thank you, Briana.