The Fishing Academy
The Fishing Academy (“TFA”) is a non-profit organization founded nineteen years ago by JohnHoffman, a lifelong Brighton resident, who grew up in the Fidelis Way Housing Development.As a teen, he discovered fishing as his escape from the dangers of street life. Inspired by themany positive experiences he had as a youth in Youth Enrichment Services (YES), he decided tooffer a program modeled on YES that offered fishing as a way to get youth from Allston,Brighton, and other Boston neighborhoods off the streets, away from drugs and violence, andexpose them to wonders of nature.
Founded in 2004
Over 10,000 children served in Greater Boston
Over 1,000 veterans served
60 past participants provided their first employment experience
Message from our Founder.
I would like to welcome and thank you for coming to our page and learning more about our charity organization, The Fishing Academy.
When I first founded the charity in March of 2004, I wasn't even sure how an outdoor fishing program would be received, all I knew is I wanted to teach kids about a sport I loved that kept me out of trouble when I was a teenager. Now heading into our 19th year, we have taken over 9,500 youth off the streets and into the great outdoors.
We have added Veterans programs, taking out those who bravely served our country and bringing them to a relaxing environment. We focus on Youth Development and have provided over 60 former participants with their first employment opportunity.
The Fishing Academy has had an overwhelming response from people in the community, parents, teachers, friends and supporters. We hope you can get involved and help kids develop into future leaders of their communities, so that someday they will create positive opportunities for the next generation!
Sincerely,
John D. Hoffman
Director​​​​​​​​​​