Today we’d like to introduce you to John Kurek.
John, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Kickstart Kids is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit charity. We use the karate principles of honesty, courage, discipline and responsibility to teach character education to students inside of the public schools. We were founded in 1990 by martial artist, actor and humanitarian, Chuck Norris. The 2017-2018 school year marks our 25th year in the schools of Texas. We have more than 9000 students this year.
Has it been a smooth road?
As a nonprofit our challenges include raising funds each year to match contributions made by the schools themselves. We are also continually updating our curriculum to reflect the concerns of the school districts that partner with us. As an example, we have partnered with Rachel’s Challenge, another nonprofit, to enhance our anti-bullying conversations with students.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kickstart Kids story. Tell us more about the business.
Kickstart Kids is a Texas Education Agency (TEA) recognized, in-school physical education program that teaches character through karate to middle and high school students. The goals of the Kickstart Kids program are to enhance students’ character development, and positively impact their school and family connections, to empower them to strive for higher levels of academic success and become productive members of our communities.
In addition to learning karate skills, daily Kickstart Kids classes include lessons from our unique values curriculum. The eight core values of honesty, loyalty, courage, discipline, respect, dedication, kindness and responsibility are deliberately layered within the physical training to equip students to make positive choices under pressure so they can be successful in all aspects of life.
Kickstart Kids is primarily offered at schools with economically disadvantaged and at-risk student populations. Our instructors teach the focus and discipline these youth will need to take on the challenges they face as students from struggling areas. Generally, students enroll in Kickstart Kids beginning at the sixth grade level and remain in the program for all three years of middle school and often beyond. It is at this impressionable age that our program is able to help students build a solid foundation before they enter high school.
Kickstart Kids is an ongoing annual program. The program is delivered five days per week during the school year through the class rotation schedule, plus optional after school and summer sessions, which keep students engaged with a healthy peer group and under the positive influence of a strong role model and mentor in their instructor. Classroom requirements include dressing for class daily in the appropriate martial arts uniform, keeping a detailed notebook of values and physical related work, passing values and martial arts curriculum-based written and physical tests, participating in group mat chats, and reciting positive affirmations.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We’d love to see more character education in the classrooms across the country.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10222 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX 77042 - Website: kickstartkids.org
- Phone: 713-868-6003
- Email: jkurek@kickstartkids.org and jfuqua@kickstartkids.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickstartkidsorg/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kickstartkidsorg/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KICKSTART_KIDS
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kickstart-kids-houston
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/kickstartkids
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