Joshua Specht
jspecht@bossierpress.com
Thousands of youths in Shreveport/Bossier City and Northwest Louisiana are in need of help to escape abusive and harmful situations, and a local program is turning these teens into mental and spiritual warriors.
Warrior of One, an outreach mission program targeting local at-risk youth, addresses those needs by providing a safe, motivational environment where individuals can heal, excel and dare to dream again.
“As a teacher in the public school system I saw so many kids who were really smart, but were failing or getting into trouble, and some were not able to play sports because of that,” said Ron Walsworth, founder of Warrior of One.
Their goal is to improve the mind, body and spirit so that each student has the tools needed to live a successful life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
“We teach them to serve others,” said Ron.
The four teachers in the program help each student believe in themselves, respect others, and develop self discipline and mental focus.
“I started this program to not only be a sport activity for kids, but to be a big brother or parent figure to keep on them and encourage them to get the grades that I know they could get,” Ron added.
Their mission is to provide mental, physical and spiritual training and motivation to live a life with purpose, drive and a passion that glorifies God. Their goal is for every individual who walks through the door to receive a new start and to have greater opportunity for success in their life.
“You can’t let the past hold you down to prevent you from doing good in the future,” he said.
One of the activities they do is MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).
“We get to train them in MMA but also train there bodies and keep fit. When the kids first walk into the gym their first thought is our that they get to learn how to fight and embrace it, but we really show and teach them how to protect themselves, but not use it on the streets,” said Ron.
Even though MMA is a physical sport, the program does not include the sparring or the combative side of the sport.
“We focus on the self defense side of MMA,” said Ron.
They end each session with a Bible study and the program features servant evangelism, where members go out to different neighborhoods and show what God’s love really is.
“We want to make them leaders and not followers,” said Ron.
The year-old program is free. Funding is done through donations.
“We appreciate the donations we get and it brings me joy to see the kids lives we change through this program,” said Ron.
To donate money or find out more info on Warrior of One go to their website at www.warriorofone.com
