June 23, 2007 — By the end of seven-year-old Jahi Johnson's day at the St. Croix Martial Arts Center's summer camp, he is thoroughly exhausted but eager for another day. "I like the tae kwon do, the connect four and playing on the playstation," the energetic soon-to-be third grader said.
Chief Instructor Evworth Charles and his team of counselors have been bridging the gap between grades while teaching the fundamentals of tae kwon do and other skills to young students for more than ten years. Charles said Hurricane Hugo in 1989 did major damage to his studio in Peter's Rest, causing him to take a break from teaching and the annual summer camp. Four years ago he resumed the tradition.
Charles said he saw a need in the lives of young men on the island as more and more single mothers are forced to raise sons on their own.
"The boys are getting too soft," the third-degree black belt said. Charles takes nothing away from the guidance and love a mother can provide but said young men need a male figure in their lives to teach them how to "pound a nail and build a bench."
This year's campers are planning to build their own go-cart on the center's grounds. "We have the engine and are getting the rest of the equipment," he said.
In the expanse of his warehouse-like dojo, students learn woodworking, photography, sewing and other skills. He says it's important for students to have a smooth transition between grades. To assist his campers with that transition, Charles recruits adult counselors skilled at teaching academics such as arithmetic, reading and V.I. history.
Charles said his greatest accomplishment is that the students go back to school prepared for the next grade." The program is sanctioned through the V.I. Tae Kwon Do Federation and uses programs like one supported by the V.I. Legislature to fund the salaries of its junior counselors every year.
Charles' first love is the art of tae kwon do. He is particularly proud of repeat campers who attend his camp to advance themselves through the degrees of belts they can earn. Charles said he has big plans for those students to participate in upcoming tournaments and events all over the Caribbean and Asia.
He added that some of his counselors are motivated to come back year after year, and it's not only for the love of the campers. "A lot of our junior counselors are attending college and have a high interest in self-defense," he said.
The St. Croix Martial Arts Center is still accepting student registration. For more information on its camp and other services, please contact the center at 778-8631.
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