'Boxing turned my life around'

Boxing and keeping fit changed Ryan Johnston's outlook and his life

"When I came in through these doors, they believed in me more than I believed in myself."

As a teenager, 22-year-old Ryan Johnston from Newtownabbey was in danger of dropping out of school with no qualifications.

He admits that he did not go to school often anyway, finding it more interesting "running more round the streets".

But his life, and future, were turned around by an inspirational partnership between his school and a local boxing club.

The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI), which inspects all schools and youth work in Northern Ireland, has just given the scheme called In Your Corner a knockout report.

It is run by Monkstown Boxing Club in partnership with the nearby Abbey Community College.

Every year, a small group of 15 and 16-year-old pupils - 12 at most - who are at risk of disengaging from school are picked for the scheme.

They spend some time in the boxing club and some time in school during the week.

Paul Johnston is the manager of the In Your Corner project

Paul Johnston - no relation to Ryan - from Monkstown Boxing Club manages the In Your Corner project.

"It really starts to target young people who are at risk of leaving school with little or no qualifications," he told BBC News NI.

"Students will come here first thing, they'll have breakfast, they'll have teachers that come from the school to deliver the full curriculum.

"Part of their school day will be based in the school, whether for science, ICT and other core subjects.

"Most of the learning and education happens within the boxing club but it's a real true partnership.

"For us it really is an opportunity to change that narrative around education."

He said this year's group would leave with a minimum of seven GCSEs at grades A-C and that "gives them the currency to go on and achieve their potential in life".

Monkstown Boxing Club employs dedicated youth workers to deliver the programme

'Nothing short of transformational'

The principal of Abbey Community College, Maria Quinn, agreed with that.

"We wanted to try and be creative in terms of the approach that we took," she said.

"The boxing club here, in particular, has been rooted in the local community for many years.

"The staff here are very much seen as positive role models for young people in the community.

"The experience for the young people concerned has been nothing short of transformational."

Due to previous money from the National Lottery Community Fund and BBC Children in Need and, more recently, the Department of Education and The Executive Office, Monkstown Boxing Club can employ dedicated youth workers to help deliver the programme.

In its report, the ETI said a "high priority is given to the wellbeing and holistic development of the pupils".

"All of the pupils make good progress as measured from their various starting points and the pupils have remained in education despite the identified risk of their disengagement," the inspection report said.

Parents of pupils also told the ETI they were "wholly positive about how the programme impacted on their children’s readiness for learning due to improved self-confidence and self-esteem".

'I felt welcomed'

That is something Ryan backs up.

"I wasn't a bad kid in school but I just never really had the attention span," he said.

"I would have been taking days off or I'd have been telling my mum I was going to school and I wouldn't have been going to school.

"Ever since the day I walked through the doors of the boxing club I felt welcomed."

Ryan said he "turned round"; his attendance at school improved dramatically and he ended up several GCSEs.

He admitted that, at one stage, that had seemed impossible.

"In fourth year, I was off-track completely," he said.

But the combination of learning, boxing and keeping fit changed Ryan's outlook and his life.

"Here I am, six or seven years later, training five times a week and now working full-time," he said.

Ryan has just got a job as a youth worker, including working at the boxing club.

"I'll be helping the young ones coming over from the school and any support that they need I'm going to be there," he said.

What will he be telling young people in danger of losing their way like he once was?

"Just to show up and to be open minded and to give it their best shot."