The Champions Initiative (2025)
Project Lead: Tony O’Connor
Across Aotearoa, the Champions Initiative is helping rangatahi find their footing, lift their gaze, and grow into young people who contribute meaningfully to their communities. What began as the Billy Graham Youth Foundation has evolved into a national movement that blends Olympic-style boxing with best-practice youth development to create safe, empowering spaces for young people to thrive.
At the heart of the initiative is a simple but powerful vision: to grow champion young people not just in the ring, but in life.
Since 2019, Point & Associates has walked alongside the Champions Initiative as its evaluation partner. Together, we co-designed a multi-year evaluation plan that gathered insights from academy members, whānau, and community partners. These insights have helped refine the programme and demonstrate its impact.
In 2024, Point led two Social Return on Investment (SROI) studies, one on the in-school Champions Begin programme, and one on the after-school programme. These studies provided powerful evidence of the initiative’s value, both socially and economically
Now, in 2025, the Champions Initiative is embarking on a new three-year evaluation journey. With more academies joining the network, the focus is on ensuring the model is implemented with fidelity and continues to meet the needs of diverse communities across Aotearoa.
With the support of Point & Associates, the Champions Initiative will continue to evolve, learn, and grow - with the goal of helping rangatahi become the best versions of themselves.
“I used to fight. Now I box. And I help others do the same.”