DURHAM, N.C. — Taekwondo isn’t usually part of an elementary school curriculum but one nonprofit believes it should be. Sidekicks Academy has been teaching taekwondo in Durham Public Schools for about two years and the program’s founder says it’s already had a positive influence.
What You Need To Know
The nonprofit Sidekicks Academy has been teaching taekwondo in Durham Public Schools for about two years
Currently, almost 100 elementary school students are learning for the traditional Korean martial art for free
The nonprofit is fundraising for uniforms, tournaments, field trips and more
“I’m seeing a difference that it’s making in the classrooms, at home. We have a lot of testimonies as well from the parents, so I know the program is effective,” said Freddie McNeil, the founder and CEO of Sidekicks Academy.
Thanks to Sidekicks Academy, almost 100 Durham elementary school students are learning taekwondo for free.
“We don’t just teach kicking and punching. There’s more to it than that, and what we really do is we teach character traits,” McNeil said.
McNeil started the nonprofit in 2019 as a way to give back to the community that he’s always called home.
“I’m a product of Durham Public Schools, and I’ve had good mentors in my life. I had a great father. I had a wonderful mother,” McNeil said.
He knows not every child grows up in that kind of environment.
“Sometimes when the boys hang around the wrong people or the wrong group they tend to take on those behaviors,” McNeil said.
In order to change that, he’s been teaching taekwondo to students during the school day.
“I love young people, and if they need additional support or extra help that’s what we supply to them. I feel if you catch the child in elementary school they will be more successful in middle school and then moving on to high school,” McNeil said.
It’s a place for these kids to channel their energy and find a sense of belonging, but McNeil says they go well beyond that with mental health resources and mentorship opportunities while instilling life lessons into our future leaders.
“Talk about what discipline or focus or self-control and understand the definition of those character traits, they can be successful,” McNeil said.
Sidekicks Academy is a nonprofit, but it has requested money from Durham Public Schools to add the program to other schools in the district.
The nonprofit is also using GoFundMe to raise money in order to provide uniforms for students, host community tournaments and education sessions as well as take students on field trips that will expose them to the world around them.
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