Woman to Watch: Celebrity Boxing Champion, Nicole Bessick Puts Up a Fight For a Good Cause
Whether it’s leading a national conversation about educational equality or raising awareness for child marriages around the world, an increasing number of young women are stepping forward as change agents. One such woman is actress and celebrity boxing champion Nicole Bessick.
Over and above her time spent in the boxing ring and intentionally taking on empowering roles on screen, she has joined the fight for gender equality in a more deliberate way. Bessick has recently launched her NGO, Fight For Good, an all-encompassing domestic violence initiative that takes women from victim to warrior in 12 weeks.
The Fight For Good Foundation aims is to help women get “passed the punch” through an individualised 12-week program focusing on multi-faceted responses to domestic and gender-based violence, namely: legal, financial, physical and psychological. The foundation’s work also focuses on encouraging South Africans to “Think Passed the Punch” and to consider and support other forms of domestic violence that do not manifest physically.
Nicole and her co-founder, Kinesh Maharaj, found a unique and inspiring way to use sport as a tool for youth development and empowerment. They teach Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as weapons of change for inner-city youths and youths from previously disadvantaged areas from the ages of 6-18 years old.
We chatted to Nicole about her work with the foundation and what it means to her:
As an Actress and High-Profile figure, why is it important for you to talk out and use your voice in a positive way?
When you’re in the public eye, women take their cues from you. And I’m not talking about the clothes you wear or the places you go… but what you say, what you do, what you speak out against. It can have a powerful impact on how other women view themselves and on how they see the world. It’s a responsibility that I’ve always been aware of and have never taken for granted.
Those who are familiar with my online presence, know that over the past few years I’ve used my platform to protect and support victims of GBV. From sharing their stories, to blasting and calling out their abusers, and even offering victims access to legal and social resources. Because standing up against injustice, and shouting it from the rooftops, is the right thing to do. Little did I know that just a few short years later, I’d create a company that formalises that process.
What has been the most rewarding part of starting the NGO and the work you’ve done so far?
I’ve lost count of the number of women who’ve reached out to me to express that the way I speak out has empowered them and made them feel supported enough to leave the toxic, abusive environments in which they find themselves. That’s why I speak out so loudly online. To be a voice for the voiceless, to stand up for the defenceless… and most importantly, to encourage others to do the same.
Nothing beats the feeling you get when you watch the active switch where a woman consciously and intentionally takes back her power. Doing good is the rent you pay for your time on earth… and when I watch that switch happen, knowing that my business had a hand in doing that… it’s a big “rent paid” moment for me!
The Fight for Good programme aims to help women in 12 weeks. Why 12 Weeks?
12 weeks is the optimal period of time for each pillar to achieve its desired results 12 weeks is the recommended duration of psychotherapy (psychological), a financial quarter (finance), the amount of time it takes for legal action to be instituted (legal), the average length of a fight camp (physical).
How can ordinary people get involved and assist with the work you are doing with The Fight for Good Foundation?
We pride ourselves on having a team of the best attorneys, professional fighters, psychologists and business mentors the country has to offer. While a large portion of their time is so graciously offered pro bono, the remainder of it comes at a cost. We continue to save the lives of women in the way that we do through donations. No amount is too small. Each and every cent quite literally goes towards saving the lives of women who otherwise would not have access to these resources.
Donations can be made via our website here.
