Join us for the start of our new program entitled: Sword Dreams

En Garde! Detroit believes that Fencing provides a great opportunity to engage children mentally and physically. Every Saturday morning we will be hosting Sword Dreams at the Historic Little Rock Baptist Church. During this time our goal is to encourage physical activity, cultural exposure & the importance of goal setting. We are seeking career day presenters, performers, and volunteer coaches.

Greetings!

Recently we participated in the NAACP Freedom Weekend: Youth Symposium. We worked with close to 400 Detroit Public School students with the help of United State Fencing Association, Leon Paul and other national sponsors. The United States Fencing Association loved our community outreach ideals and decided to feature our work on their website which garners international attention. The article also mentions the upcoming North American Cup slated for Cobo Hall March 2011.

Full Article Here: USFA Website

The Detroit Free Press wrote a great article on one of our community partners, COTS, a great organization that services homeless families throughout the city of Detroit.

Source: FreeP.com by Amber Hunter

[This year, children will learn to grow herbs, such as peppermint and chamomile, to be used in COTS's Charitea -- loose-leaf teas sold to raise funds. They'll also have the chance to learn fencing.

"Fencing is really cerebral," Wilhelm said. "It's utilizing your mind and hands to learn a skill."

The whole program is meant to give underprivileged children a chance to see "how the other half lives," Wilhelm added. "It's meant to show the kids some things that people who have more opportunities would be apt to see."]

Read the full article here: Coalition on Temporary Shelter

The Freedom Institute will be hosting an event packed week focused on economic growth, religious collaborations, and youth empowerment. The Freedom Institute is lead by Dr. Wendell Anthony president of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP. En Garde! Detroit has been asked to speak and provide demonstrations for over 400 youth from the Metro Detroit area!

We will be discussing the advantageous of exposing youth to alternative sports as a means of cultural enrichment and increased opportunities for college scholarships. Wish us a luck and feel free to stop by!

Each year the Detroit Regional Chamber & Fusion honor experienced and young professionals who have demonstrated high achievement and community involvement in their respective categories. This year the 2010 Horizon Award for Entrepreneurship was awarded to our CEO Bobby C. Smith. Over the past year, we have become ever more committed to expanding the scope of our community programming & collaborations within the region. We are honored to have been recognized for our unique vision of adapting the sport of Fencing as a youth development tool for inner city youth. It is our belief that the long term solution to the problems facing our region, is through substantial reinvestment into our future. And our future is in the youth!

Nominees in the Entrepreneur category. Bobby Smith on right.

We would like to thank the Detroit News for sharing our story and our passion!

Find the article here: Detroit News Article

Greetings!

2010 is shaping up to be a great year!

Our current objectives for this year:

+Develop a fencing club in Detroit for youth & adults to attend 3-5 days a week
-Seeking partnerships to offset the cost for low-income families
-Seeking upwards of 5,000 square feet of open space to facilitate classes
-Start teaching adult classes

+Establish programs in 3 new schools
+Develop partnerships for summer programs
+Develop our non-profit (Updated: 4/28/10)
-In progress!

En Garde! Detroit is committed to exposing youth (and soon adults) to the advantages of fencing. But we could always use help!

Are you ready to fence in 2010?

If you are interested in classes or having us meet with your school administration regarding our services please contact us.

Info@EnGardeDetroit.com
O: 313-529-9075

A short video portraying what it means to be a fencer.
These young adults were competing En Garde! Detroit’s Ballestra 350 tournament held in Detroit, MI on Wayne State University campus.

The tournament highlights newly graduated high school students culminating their summer program which included Fencing. For more information goto http://tinyurl.com/yccbs55

Today, the United States Fencing Association release news about their new Academic All-American program. This program is designed to recognize high school fencers who strive for excellence on and off the strip.

This falls in-line with the mission & motto of En Garde! Detroit. We applaud the national leadership for their commitment to youth development.

“Encouraging a high level of academic achievement in our young athletes is as important as encouraging their athletic achievement.” – USFA

For more details please visit the USFA website:
http://www.usfencing.org/news/article/20485

Greetings,

Every once in a while I get asked, “what is Fencing?” To which I would have to reply:

Discipline.

Focus.

Determination.

Class.

Style.

Energy.

We will be creating a video to illustrate this the EGD way, but until then.