started at Safe Passage at the Guatemala City garbage dump, now sharing lacrosse throughout Guatemala.

Maya Lacrosse

Thank you to our friends, sponsors, and supporters of the growing lacrosse programs in Guatemala.


Friends & Supporters

  1. •Atlantic Sportswear

  2. •LaxPros

  3. •Hayes Foundation

  4. •Nichols Foundation

  5. •Millbrook School

  6. •Polar Bear Lacrosse

  7. •U.S. Lacrosse Association

  8. •Federation of International Lacrosse

  9. •Lax World

  10. •Rage Cage

  11. •Shamrock Lacrosse

  12. •Trilogy Lacrosse

  13. •Maine Lacrosse Coaches Association

  14. •Yarmouth High School Lacrosse

  15. •Chase Williams


In Action

Sharing Lacrosse 2010 Maya Lacrosse Festival, March 12 & 13, 2010 at Safe Passage! 210 young Guatemalans from 6 Guatemalan towns celebrate lacrosse. Click here. Guatemala TV News Coverage of the 2010 Maya Lacrosse Festival. Click here Coban, Guatemala Lacrosse Clinic, February 6, 2010. Click here. Pictures of the June 5, 2009 lacrosse clinic run by Safe Passage children at San Francisco de Asis School in Guatemala City. click here Pictures of the Guatemala Festival de Lacrosse ’08 click here News coverage from Guatemala television click here Today Safe Passage is a program to help children rise above a world of poverty around the Guatemala City dump through education. Lacrosse adds fun to their lives, builds confidence and fitness, helps them recognize the value of teamwork, and hopefully creates new opportunities in their lives. Today, 60 boys and girls play lacrosse at Safe Passage. Today, these children travel to other challenged communities throughout Guatemala to share lacrosse, add fun to the day, and build dreams. Lacrosse groups from Maine and from Millbrook School in New York, and from other schools and communities in the U.S. visit the program to support the kids and teach them about lacrosse and about opportunities of the world.  Visit the Safe Passage website at www.safepassage.org  From Jenna McCabe, Boston College Lacrosse Player "Teaching lacrosse in Guatemala was an experience! To be able to share this game I love with others and add some fun to their day was memorable. Each day, we worked with two groups of girls, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. The girls ranged in age from 10 to 17 and were at different levels of ability. "The girls arrived ready to play in various degrees mentally and physically, but always ready to interact with us. After each session we introduced a moral value to the girls. The values had to do with making good decisions in their home, school, and with peers (sportsmanship, perseverance, use your head, and teamwork).  We wanted to leave them with lessons they could use on and off the field. After we introduced the word of the day, we tied it into playing lacrosse. Using the "talking stick" (a lacrosse stick we passed around and when you had it you got to talk), the teachers and the girls all shared how we could use this concept in our daily lives. The comments of the Guatemalan girls were intense and full of conviction. "We were given the opportunity to see where these kids lived and it was amazing to see how they came away from their home environments with smiles on their faces and ready to play lacrosse....such resilience! Yes, I taught them some lacrosse, but the time spent together was worth far more to me.  I came home realizing I had received much more than I gave."  Our goals for the future include: Helping the Maya Lacrosse players and Rodrigo, their coach, share their skills and knowledge to develop new programs in other parts of Guatemala. Bringing some of these children to the US to make new connections, develop new opportunities, and see US lacrosse. Helping Maya lacrosse players continue their education into high school and beyond. Helping the Maya Lacrosse team be a strong and popular alternative to other less positive social choices. Lacrosse_Festival_2010.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXrdj-ykIxsCoban_Lacrosse_Clinic.htmlSan_Francisco_de_Asis_Clinic.htmlFestival_08.htmlNational_News.htmlhttp://www.safepassage.orgFestival_08.htmlshapeimage_6_link_0shapeimage_6_link_1shapeimage_6_link_2shapeimage_6_link_3shapeimage_6_link_4shapeimage_6_link_5shapeimage_6_link_6

Mission of the Safe Passage/Maya Lacrosse Program.


•To add fun to the lives of the participating Safe Passage children;

•To help them build self-esteem and self-confidence through lacrosse;

•To help them make new connections through their lacrosse with people and cultures around and away from the Guatemala City dump;

•To help them develop better education and career opportunities for their future through their participation in lacrosse;

•To help them gain a better understanding of the value of fitness, healthy living and eating habits;

•To help them build skills as a member of a team and as a leader of others so that they can be partners and positive role models in their community;

•To help them build their lacrosse skills to whatever level will help them accomplish the above six goals.





“Safe Passage does some great work for some wonderful kids living a very challenging lifestyle at the edge of the Guatemala City dump. It is great to see the Maya Lacrosse program growing throughout Guatemala with leadership from Rodrigo Pascual. These are children with very little helping others have more. There are great opportunities for us all to build their lives and create new opportunities for them through lacrosse.


I hope others will join us in our efforts. Please contact me with any questions. It is a great opportunity for us all.”


Bob Stuart

Long-time lacrosse player, coach, and educator

rsstuart@yecinc.com