Albuquerque born boxer, Fidel Maldonado, Jr., known by his fans as “The Atrisco Kid”, will speak to all staff and students at the Albuquerque Job Corps Center on September 14, 2015. Maldonado, (23-3, 17 knockouts) will participate in the Youth 2 Youth: Partners 4 Peace Campaign. Youth 2 Youth (Y2Y) is a violence-prevention initiative created and led by Job Corps students nationwide, including here at the Albuquerque Job Corps Center.

You have seen the news. Violence is killing our future. Emergency rooms in the United States treat 692,000 young people each year due to injuries sustained from violence. Our economy suffers $170 billion in lost productivity each year due to violence.

It is time to take action! Statistics show that peer-to-peer prevention strategies and employment work. That’s where Job Corps and Y2Y step in.

Y2Y seeks to:
• Talk about violence and aggression in our community.
• Empower one another to prevent violence and aggression.
• Share stories and talk about solutions to help others prevent violence and aggression.

Having Maldonado visit the Center will empower students to make better and stronger choices about preventing violence in their lives and our community. Maldonado plans to speak about discipline, dreams, hard work and setting goals as well as give demonstrations and show his title belts from his wins.