Kids destined for a life of street violence have hailed a gym run by an ex-gangland hood for keeping them off the streets. David McCallum, better known as Ravie Davie, set up the Glasgow School of Wrestling in the heart of Govan in a bid to turned his criminal past into a beacon of hope for the next generation.
The gym operates six days a week and offers children a safe haven from the harsh realities of the streets – a cause close to David’s heart after he turned to gangs, drugs, and alcohol to escape the grief of losing his mum to suicide when he was just a schoolboy.
Wrestling became David’s lifeline and now the 30-year-old is determined to make sure that other kids in similar circumstances don’t choose the wrong path.
David said: “Wrestling was my escape from reality when my mum died and that is the same for a lot of the kids here too. We have kids who come here who would definitely be out there getting into trouble if they weren’t coming here.
“It’s really special for me to keep kids out of trouble as I have come from a rough background.“
David explained he is backing the Daily Record’s Our Kids … Our Future campaign which launched last year in response to a rise in violent attacks on young people in Scotland. The campaign aims to provide safe place for kids to go in every community.
He continued: “We help tackle youth violence by keeping kids off the streets. In places like Govan, these kids can end up doing things to fit in. Things like committing crimes, taking drugs and drinking, potentially leading to prison.
“Now they have this club they don’t do that, because they are here. I try to have something on for them all the time so they can avoid falling into these traps and they’ve made friends for life that they talk to every second of every day.”
The school has been transformative for its students, some of whom were left nowhere to go after lockdown when youth centres across the country closed their doors and never reopened.
Many told how the hub has steered them away from violence and substances abuse.
Fraser Burns, 13, said: “Before joining here, I used to be in tons of clubs but all of them shut down after Covid. I had nothing to do. This place is an escape for me.
“I see fights in school all of the time and if those people gave the wrestling school a chance it could be an escape for them too.”
Murdo Hastings, 14, explained: “There are loads of people in the wrestling school who were behaving badly but since coming here it has changed who they are. The school takes away the chance of you falling down a bad path.”
Olly McLaughlinm, 13, added: “I know people in my year at school who drink and fight. This school could change their life, like it has for many already, if they let it. Davie knows how to keep us safe and off the streets.”
Abby Bryson, 16, said: “I know a couple of people who come to this school who have gotten off the streets since joining the school.” While Aaron Herbertson, 14, added: “Coming here was the first place that I ever felt like I could fit in. This school is a good way of keeping kids off the streets, especially with Davie’s background because it shows people that you can change your life around.”
Kayden Fraser, 16, has lost an incredible 11st since joining the school. He said: “The school has definitely kept a lot of people off the streets by giving them something to do. It keeps you from being in the situations that people my age find themselves in where they’re drinking because they’re bored.
“I know a lot of people who loved wrestling growing up but are too far gone down a road where they’re drinking and taking drugs. My life has changed because of this school. This school has helped me lose over 11st, given me confidence I could only dream of, and helped with my anxiety.”
David added: “There is a real need for these safe spaces for kids in lower-income areas to keep them out of trouble.
“When I was younger, I got into a lot of bother but I always got told by social workers that I wasn’t a bad boy, I just had nothing to do. Maybe if I had had somewhere like this, then I would never have felt the peer pressure to join a gang. These kids will never feel that pressure because they have now made friends through wrestling.”
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