EMBC Men’s Connect Spiritual Boot Camp
Indianapolis, IN
With funding from Heal America’s Summer of Healing grant, Webster hosted “Love Conquers Hate,” an event focusing on Boot Camp principles for youth participating in a community basketball tournament. The tournament and “Love Conquers All” were both associated with the Community Love Fest, a weekend celebration of Indianapolis’ northeast side promoting unity, love, and community collaboration. The basketball tournament featured 20 youth teams, and Webster recalled sharing with the group the meaning of “winning off the court and how to deal with conflict without picking up guns,” furthering Heal America’s vision of disrupting cycles of violence and healing affected communities through love. Additionally, EMBC Men’s Connect Spiritual Boot Camp hosted a Back to School event for kids and their families in partnership with Heal America, providing the 60-70 youth in attendance resources and tools to have a successful school year.
BARRIER
Despite efforts to curb rates of violence in Indianapolis, neighborhoods continue to struggle. In the EMBC Boot Camp headquarters zip code, the rate of violent crime is in the 98th percentile, with only 2% of American zip codes reporting higher violent crime rates. Traditional efforts, like increased police presence in high-crime areas, have been unsuccessful. Instead, police-community relations in the area are strained. In Indianapolis, 11 people were shot by police in the first nine months of the year; all but one of those shot was Black. With varied opinions on a possible solution from officers, politicians, and community advocates, Indianapolis has no clear path forward. EMBC Boot Camp aims to be a guiding light.
SOLUTION
Founded in 2011, EMBC Boot Camp creates a community of men connected by shared experience, Christian faith, and determination to better themselves and their neighborhood. Webster explains, “While there are many professionally designed and staffed programs that have been launched to address the crisis of violence and self-destruction among certain population groups in high-crime areas, most do not effectively reach boys and men who are most at risk.” EMBC Boot Camp overcomes this challenge by meeting men and boys where their community already exists: in church.
EMBC Boot Camp began with 41 individuals meeting in their local church at 5:45 am over 21 days to create a practice akin to group therapy: men shared their trauma and provided support for one another. As men continued to show up every morning with the intention of bettering themselves and holding each other accountable, EMBC Boot Camp shifted from a “care” model to a “development” model to better serve their community. In addition to affirming and nurturing individuals’ self-confidence, EMBC Boot Camp offered individualized goal-setting programs, guiding men through life planning and offering education paths to reach their goals. At the end of the 21-day Boot Camp, participants graduated and some were offered the opportunity to serve as mentors for future attendees, continuing to cultivate learned leadership skills and giving back to their community.
In 12 years of hosting the program, EMBC Boot Camp has grown to serve a multi-faceted, intergenerational group of between 100 to 300 men at their headquarters in Indianapolis. While offering faith leadership and spiritual guidance, EMBC Boot Camp also educates and equips attendees to navigate life challenges, promote accountability, and process complex emotions to “successfully fulfill their life purpose.” The EMBC Boot Camp model follows the evidence-based approach of trauma-informed care by asking the question, “What happened to you?” rather than placing judgment on sufferers of trauma. Webster explains, “Treating the underlying need creates the opportunity for the person to be validated for their experiences but to not be defined by the experience.” By framing conversations through a lens of care and creating a space of understanding, EMBC Boot Camp gets to the root causes of need for vulnerable men living in high-crime areas, justice-involved individuals, and people with substance-use disorder.
After mothers began bringing their sons to EMBC Boot Camp, the program’s adaptability enabled an expansion to include Champions Camp, a summer camp to prepare youth for adulthood. Champions Camp is geared towards high-risk or justice-involved young adults, teaching classes focused on forming healthy personal relationships, prioritizing community engagement, and instilling positive self-image. Through the adult and youth boot camp models, EMBC Boot Camp empowers individuals of all ages to empower their peers, ensuring the positive impact reaches beyond the confines of the church.
