Our MAT Kids program is having its first charity tournament on April, 27th. The kids are very excited and have been training hard. Our good friends and sponsor, Triton Fight Center in Broken Arrow, OK, is hosting the event. This is an opportunity for our kids to meet other young people that enjoy jiu jitsu, and an opportunity to grow our MAT Kids family. This is also a chance for us to push one of our MAT Kids missions of encouraging our nations Sheep Dogs to mentor children that have been exposed to bullying. These young people gain self confidence, enabling them to stand up to bullies if needed, and also provides a valuable asset in the form of a mentor, a Sheep Dog.
Bullying is an epidemic in some schools. It’s horrible and far too many schools “sweep it under the rug”. For kids that get picked on, returning to school each day can be very stressful. Experts say that more than 150,000 children miss school every day because they are afraid of being bullied. More than half of all schoolchildren have witnessed a bullying incident and three out of every four students say bullying is a problem at their school.
M.A.T. kids are trained to utilize the entire cycle of standing up for themselves; verbally first, then physically if needed, but never violently. They keep it humble and respectful. No punches. No Kicks. They meet the bully using Gracie jiu-jitsu. It’s the gentle way.
All proceeds from our tournament will go to further the M.A.T. Kids program, i.e. purchase of gi’s for our students, mats, and other gear as needed. You can learn more about the SDIA MAT Kids Program at http://sheepdogia.org/m-a-t-kids/
Your Tournament Application can be found at http://sheepdogia.org/m-a-t-kids/
To register and pay for a spot in the Tournament please visit http://sdiamatkids.eventbrite.com/
If you have questions about the tournament, please contact John Pope, SDIA MAT Kids Program Director, at JPope@SheepDogIA.org, or 719-213-8792