Istood at the perimeter of a room carpeted with tatami mats, watching a troop of young boys recite scriptures and creeds and reflect on their emotions. They were preparing to engage in battle—specifically, Brazilian jiujitsu. “I will not be mastered by my emotions,” they said in unison. “Instead, I will rule over them.”
This is The Yunion, Jason Wilson’s nonprofit that offers leadership training and support for youth in the Oakman Boulevard Community of Detroit. Symbolically, the modest three-story brick building sits between a flourishing Catholic church and blocks of blighted houses, acting as a sinew for the two worlds.
The core ministry of The Yunion is the Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy (CATTA). The cave is a rite-of-passage program that uses emotional training and martial arts to develop African American young men. In this densely populated and ignored neighborhood in Detroit, the Cave of Adullam has a waiting list of over 800 youth.
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