Our mission is to provide a supportive environment where students can develop skill, confidence, and discipline through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Every class we teach changes a life — sometimes an entire family’s. Your support helps us provide at-risk youth with mentorship, structure, and discipline through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Together, we’re replacing detention with discipline, and reaction with prevention.
Forge Kids Foundation began in the San Fernando Valley with a simple observation: too many young people had energy, potential, and drive, but no structured outlet to express it. Many of them grew up in neighborhoods where opportunity was scarce and exposure to violence was common. We saw that what they needed wasn’t punishment, but purpose.
Our founder, Alex Perez, combined his background and his love for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to create a space where prevention replaces reaction. At Forge Kids, we believe that juvenile crime isn’t a random event; it’s a symptom of structural inequity. Through BJJ, mentorship, and community partnerships, we give youth the tools to build discipline, resilience, and a sense of belonging.
Every class is a chance to rewrite a story—from detention to discipline, from chaos to community, from risk to resilience.
Every roll, every class, and every conversation at Forge Kids Foundation builds discipline, confidence, and community. We use martial arts and mentorship to prevent crime before it starts.
Our foundation provides free or low-cost BJJ classes for at-risk youth in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. Through consistent training, students build confidence, discipline, and respect — essential skills that carry far beyond the mat. BJJ teaches “control without harm,” reinforcing empathy, restraint, and teamwork.
Forge Kids pairs youth with mentors who model resilience and responsibility. Students learn goal setting, emotional control, communication, and problem-solving, skills proven to reduce recidivism and increase school engagement.
Our programs are grounded in the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model and Social Network Analysis (SNA) research. Studies show that when youth develop self-control, resilience, and positive peer associations, crime and recidivism drop dramatically. As criminologist Andrew Papachristos found, “gun violence spreads through social networks.” Forge Kids flips that model—creating positive contagion through mentorship, discipline, and belonging.
