Greenwood Park community project uplifts youth

A COMMUNITY project to give youngsters a sense of purpose and help them move away from the scourge of drugs is growing from strength to strength in Greenwood Park. The Solider Squad, started by karate instructor, sensei Derek Choromanski in August this year aims to get kids off the streets and to give them an identity and a sense of belonging through military style training.

Choromanski together with fellow parents, Sean Morel, Lynne Peters and Roxanne Manik help train boys and girls, free of charge on a Tuesday where those who attend the classes are taught how to be disciplined, show honour and respect, military style.

“The concept for this programme, initially called Soldier Boys, was born 20 years ago when some of the young boys from the community wanting to be trained military style. While the programme fell away after a few years, the lessons and the ethos behind the message did not. I had one of the youngsters who went through that programme fall on hard times with drugs and the lean cough mixture which has become popular with pupils as young as Grade 6.

Related story: Greenwood Park make strides in fight against Lean drug

“Many of the soldiers back then helped him get back on his feet with donations of food and clothes and he reverted back to the training I had given him all those years ago. I can thankfully say he is now secured a job and working full time. So the idea, was reborn so to speak and we renamed it Soldier Squad, because we had a number of girls join the programme. The aim is to get kids off the streets and to give them identity, worth, a sense of belonging, love, and hope, through Christian faith-based teaching and military-style training,” he said.

Since August, Choromanski’s class has grown from six to more than 20 children who regularly attend.

“We put the boys and girls through their paces with rigorous training, but also teaching, discipline and respect and most importantly, love. The concept has been a huge success and I’m really happy with how the classes are growing. When some of the children come to us, there is a lack of trust. So we try and rebuild that circle of trust. I’m grateful to all the parents and the Greenwood Park community who have shown us their support for this worthy programme,” he said.

To find out more about Soldier Squad or how to join, visit their Facebook page under the name, Soldier Boys.

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