Becoming an Ambassador for Lacrosse the Nations' Mission

Here at LtN, we live and breath by our supporters. The passion behind the work we do is amplified by those who believe in our mission. We've witnessed the power you all have to make a change in others' lives through your belief in sport as a vehicle to do good. As witnesses to this power, we created Team LtN - a community made up of people across the country; not connected by lacrosse, but by the feeling they get when they see a kid discover their favorite sport for the first time, by their excitement in building meaningful relationships, by their understanding that there is more out there to give then to get. 

Team LtN members are ambassadors for our cause, raising awareness and funds for Lacrosse the Nations' programs. Often, raising funds for a cause can seem daunting or a chore-like. At Lacrosse the Nations, we equip our ambassadors to fundraise with activities they know and love. Check out these ideas below and see how fun it can be to spread LtN's mission as a part of Team LtN:

1. Youth Lacrosse Camp
If your team is in high school or college, put your skills to use and coordinate a youth lacrosse camp! Local elementary or middle school children often look up to older athletes and would be thrilled to spend the day learning new tricks. Hosting a youth camp can both raise money and educate children about sports, exercise, and healthy expression.

2. Food Truck Festival
We’re sure many of your team’s supporters show up to your games hungry. Is there a big tournament coming up? Reach out to food trucks in your area to attend. You can charge entrance into the festival, and the trucks can still charge their normal prices inside. Pro tip: find food trucks of all cuisines so everyone can find something to snack on!

3. Shoot-a-thon
For this fundraiser, you’ll need to rent a radar gun (or ask someone to donate one for the day). Measure how fast each of your participants can throw a lacrosse ball, and give a prize to the winner! You can charge a small fee per attempt (try $5). You’ll be amazed at how competitive participants will get!

4. Parents vs. Kids Match
Set up a night where your team’s parents play against your team. A bit of family friendly competition is totally fine when it’s for a great cause! Charge for entry to the game as well as snacks throughout the game. Provide a trophy for the winning team and host the event annually. You’ll easily get some lax dads willing to compete against their kids!

Ready to host your own fundraiser? Lacrosse the Nations uses an online platform that allows you to sell tickets while managing and tracking donations. You can simply shoot us an email, and we will help you set everything up! However, if you're a do-it-yourselfer, you could use a number of nonprofit registration platforms.

Spread the Word: As an advocate for our mission, use your power to tell others about Lacrosse the Nations. Make sure to be following our social media platforms (@laxthenations) and use the hashtag #TeamLtN!

To go the extra mile, garner support for Lacrosse the Nations through a one-to-one text messaging tool! Texting your supporters is a great way to build awareness, get feedback, and notify others about your upcoming events. Direct and genuine communication is the best way to create impact for LtN.

No matter what you do as a member of Team LtN, you are spreading the power of sport in ways we never could without you. When you are passionate about a mission, as we are with ours, that passion permeates in incredible ways.

Higher Education in Nicaragua

Today is National Higher Education Day! This day is used as a platform to encourage young students to pursue higher education, and to promote ways to tackle the challenges of receiving a degree. Here at LtN, promoting education is our priority, as the majority of the communities we work with struggle to access quality education from a young age.

In Nicaragua, the concept of higher education is almost mystical. UNICEF reports that 29% of males, and 30.5% of females in Nicaragua never even attend primary school (elementary through 6th grade). The numbers only get worse as children age - with a staggering 65% of boys and 58% of girls not continuing on to secondary school (6th grade through high school).

Higher education is not a reality for many, as most cannot afford costs and Nicaraguan universities that are free are extremely competitive, offering limited spots. These challenges are compounded by the pressure boys receive to work instead of attending school so that they can support their families, and the assumption that girls will stay at home to watch younger siblings and take care of the house. Moreover, many young girls struggle to stay in school due to teen pregnancy - Nicaragua has highest rate of teenage births in Latin America and the highest in the world outside of Africa.

Student who participate in our lacrosse programs are some of the few who receive encouragement to pursue higher eduction.  LtN's programs use sport as a motivator for kids to attend and to do well in school. Through LtN's scholarship program, students' are eligible to receive school supplies and uniforms. This program relieves pressure on families to tackle the costs of sending their kids to school.

Through our LtN Scholar program, those who display exemplary behavior, are leaders on the field, and work at their studies have the opportunity to become an LtN Scholar.  As an LtN Scholar, students work for LtN as a coach so that they can still support their families while attending university classes to continue their education. This way, our scholars are able to take the time to complete their degree, move out of the lacrosse world into a professional career, and become a resource and a role model within their communities.

We would like to take this day to acknowledge our incredible LtN Scholars in Nicaragua and all of the hard work and dedication they put in, not only to developing young lives through our programs, but taking initiative to better their own situations and pursue their full potential. Join us in celebrating our amazing scholars on this year's National Higher Education Day:

Freddy

Studying English at the Nicaraguan Academy of Languages

Darien

Studying Bio-Analysis at The American University

Luis

Completing their Licensure in Physical Education from the Nicaragua Institute of Sports

David

Completing his Licensure in Physical Education at The Nicaragua Institute of Sports

Juan

Completing his Licensure in Physical Education at The Nicaragua Institute of Sports

New PD, Lou, Reflects on his First Month in Nicaragua

Short-term Program Director (PD), Lou Lillelund, began his journey in Nicaragua on March 1st. Lou is from Copenhagen, Denmark and a member of the Danish National Team. Lou's decision to take a gap year after finishing his secondary education with the International-Baccalaureate Diploma Program is what brought him to Lacrosse the Nations in Nicaragua! Lou has done an incredible job jumping head in to LtN’s programs, helping at both practices and at LtN tutoring sessions. From day one, Lou fit right into the family. This week, we asked Lou to reflect on his first month down in programs. Here’s what he had to say:

“After slightly over a month of volunteering for LtN in Nicaragua. Saying that my time here has been an experience I will never forget would be an understatement. As there are five different lacrosse programs in total: two co-ed practices (advanced and beginner) at each of our two schools, plus a girls’ practice at Chiquilistagua (aka Chiqui), I get to play and help out with actual lacrosse around 20-25 hours a week. In addition to lacrosse practices, every Monday I have the privilege of tutoring some of the players at Chiqui before afternoon practice. Each program has its own unique charm as the kids and coaches that I work with at each program vary.

“The advanced practices are lots of fun – helping Coach Maycol at Club Hope and Coach Juan at Chiqui and playing fast-paced lacrosse with the kids. The beginner practices are equally as enjoyable, whether I am helping at the Club with Norman coach the kids (who seem to literally never run out of energy) or I am with my other PDs Susan, Andrew, and Matt helping Coach David teach our kids at Chiqui.

“I even get to help out Coach Darien along with PDs Susan and Jackie in LtN’s girls’ program. Seeing the smiles on Naomi’s, Allison’s, and the rest of the girls faces when they catch a ball or score a goal is an incredibly rewarding experience. Overall, I’m grateful to say that I’ve already made priceless relationships with both the coaches and players, of which I am truly excited to see develop throughout these subsequent months.”

Coaches Freddy and David with PD, Lou, and Chiqui beginner players at morning lacrosse practice in Nicaragua.