A North Lawndale nonprofit is getting a much bigger ring to work in — and it plans to fill that space with young people, mentorship and plenty of disciplined footwork. Boxing Out Negativity has opened a new facility that can serve nearly 90 young people a day, up from about 30 at its previous location.
The move to a new space at Lawndale Plaza gives the West Side organization room to expand its daily youth programming, according to CBS News Chicago. The nonprofit began in a garage in 2009 and has now grown into a larger operation serving children and teens in the neighborhood.
Boxing Out Negativity describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by coach Derek Brown, offering free programming for youth ages 8 and up. Beyond boxing, the organization says its work includes mentorship, school-based programs, trauma-informed care, street outreach, gang intervention and peace circles at Cook County Jail, according to the group’s official mission page.
The larger facility is needed because demand for the program has outgrown its available space. In 2024, Austin Weekly News reported that Boxing Out Negativity had about 300 children on its waitlist, after growing from Brown’s early lessons with gloves kept in his car to a staffed youth program with a permanent facility.
More Room For Work Beyond The Ring
The organization’s pitch has never been simply about producing better boxers. Its stated goal is to give young people a safe, supportive place to build self-respect, confidence and purpose, while using physical training as an entry point for mentorship and violence prevention.
That community-violence-intervention model has also drawn broader attention. The National Association of Counties recently featured Brown in a discussion about grassroots strategies for reducing gun violence, describing Boxing Out Negativity as a Cook County organization that works with youth through boxing, outreach, mental-health support and community events.
For North Lawndale families, the immediate change is more practical than philosophical: more spots, more daily capacity and a better chance for young people to get through the front door. A program that started with a few gloves and a neighborhood need now has room to welcome nearly three times as many youth each day.
