How LtN Builds Successful Programs - Part I: Choosing a Site

We want to make sure that every site we choose has a clear need for the work we do and is in line with our mission of unifying the lacrosse community to promote education and create opportunity for youth across the world. To decide which communities to devote time to and how we work day in and day out on the ground to fulfill our mission LtN developed a rubric to evaluate potential new sites.

The rubric

The rubric assesses six criteria that help us decide whether or not to launch a pilot program. The final score lets us know if we should invest time and resources into a particular site.

1. Access to Education - How often are kids in school. How high is the barrier to entry? What are they?

   Education is at the forefront of our mission. We want to use lacrosse as a vehicle to get kids excited about and valuing their education. We prioritize communities who demonstrate a need for academic support.
   

2. Access to Sport/Physical Education - Do children and youth have access to sports outside of school? Is P.E. being taught in school?
   We believe that access to sports is critical for youth development. Kids with access to a variety of sports and extra curricular activities tend to be happier, healthier and more successful. LtN gives preference to communities who lack these programs so that we can provide a unique opportunity to learn and play.
   

3. Potential Partnerships - Are there people/organizations familiar with the needs of the community who can LtN can partner with at this site?
   As they say, teamwork makes the dream work. If we can identify community leaders and organizations who want to partner with us we’ll be able to do much more than we could ever do alone. Identifying these organizations is critical to our success.
   

4. Local Staff - Are there people in the community who we could train to be our coaching staff?
   Our experience has taught us that without local staff who believe in the power of sport and are passionate about helping their community we cannot succeed. If we do not see any opportunity to train leaders within the community our programs will not succeed.

5. Current Resources - Do we have the people and resources to run a 3- month pilot program?

   We also look critically at our current situation. Is LtN in a place to expand? Do we have volunteers ready, willing and able to help us train and develop future coaches? Do we have the gear we need (sticks, balls, goals, etc) so that we can run programs effectively? The last thing we want is to over extend our resources.
   

6. Opportunity to Volunteer - Is the site conducive to hosting short and long-term volunteers?
   A critical element of our mission and programs is the ability to connect US volunteers to the world at large. We want to provide the opportunities for coaches, players and lacrosse fans to experience the power of sport first hand. Being able to connect the US lacrosse community to our programs is important. If we cannot do that then we are not fulfilling our mission.

What the score means

Each criterion is scored, one (1) to 3 (three). The sum of all six criterion tell us if we should move forward or not. Her’es how we’ve broken it down.

• 0-6 indicates the site is NOT a good fit for our programs.

• 7- 11 tells us we are missing something before we can organize a pilot program.

• 12-18 lets us know we are a good fit and we should plan to launch a pilot program.

the pilot program

Once we’ve gotten a score we either move forward with our pilot program to see how the community responds. We spend at least three (3) months running our after-school lacrosse programs. The pilot is evaluated on a series of quantitative and qualitative metrics. Based on this evaluation and the recommendation of our on-the-ground staff our Board of Directors votes whether or not to launch programs full-time.

Next week Part II: Succeeding Long-Term

The Versatility of the LtN Experience: Rachel Ziemba

With my return to school rapidly approaching, I can confidently look back and say, what an awesome summer! I luckily got to spend June and July working for LtN in the sweaty yet beautiful Bocas. Seeing LtN’s Panama presence turn just one year old, my fellow interns and I were all reminded of both the progress that had been made in such short time and the great potential to grow that still remained.

Taking this potential as inspiration for action, we all divvied up the many things we hoped to accomplish in order to leave LtN Panama a little better than we found it and got to work. I took the lead on analyzing and reorganizing LtN’s metrics and evaluation methods in place for Nicaragua programs. In addition, I developed a similar system for Bocas, something that had yet to materialize due to the growing nature of our programs there.

Working in a foreign country for a small non-profit with a relatively new presence in the area, this summer proved to be equally as challenging as valuable. I learned to navigate working with limited resources, mastering the art of improvisation and problem solving. Cultivating genuine trust with the local community by immersing myself wholeheartedly also required me to take a few worthwhile steps outside my comfort zone.

“For a Biology major with aspirations to become a physician one day, what struck me most about my time with LtN was how I will be able to transfer all that I learned to my academic discipline and intended career path."

For a Biology major with aspirations to become a physician one day, what struck me most about my time with LtN was how I will be able to transfer all that I learned to my academic discipline and intended career path. While the actual work I do will change one day, it will do so in name only, as the principles that govern working to improve the lives of others using creative, modest methods and solutions will remain the same. Similarly, I know one day I’ll be able to point to my experience connecting with the players and parents of Bocas as a strong foundation for the ability to establish honest, natural relationships with patients and families.

While interning with LtN this summer, I learned to make the most of the available resources to maximize the benefit of my presence anywhere for whomever I may serve.  My biggest dream for the future is to be able to care for people in the greatest need, and I’m grateful to LtN for giving me the tools to accomplish my dreams. I sincerely hope that one day I may be able to use my newly-minted background in a small, international non-profit organization to work for a humanitarian cause and help make the world a better place. 

As a final sendoff I must say THANK YOU to LtN for an amazing and valuable summer. I will forever carry with me the countless lessons learned in Bocas.

Dedicated Dudes

What’s better than two young dudes that love lacrosse showing up every day to practice, smiling and always wanting to learn new tricks? As a coach, not much that’s for sure! Over the past two months, I’ve gotten to watch the eager and positive dedication of two of our players, Arcelio and Jose, shine through. The fact that they’re fun to hang out with, talented, and good friends are all just added bonuses. Their can-do attitudes deserve some recognition so let me tell you a little bit more about these two dedicated dudes…

Arcelio is in 8th grade and actually lives right across the street from our field. This may partially explain why he’s always earlier to practice than I am - yes, I often find him there waiting for me - rain or shine. And he always wants more. One day, I strolled up to the field wearing my raincoat and said to him, “A mí no me gusta cuando está lloviendo” (“I don’t like when it rains”). Expecting him to agree with me, I was only half surprised when he simply shrugged his shoulders, scooped up the ball I’d put out and threw a fake in my direction eager to play. As I said, he always wants more… more shooting, more games, more stick tricks… more, more, more. 

Arcelio’s hunger to learn is evident. Trying out new dodges, passes, and shots are high on his list of his favorite 10 am activities. And he is never afraid to make a mistake. If I throw him a behind-the-back pass, he tries to imitate it. Over and over again he will continue to make the pass until he’s got it down - well, at least most of the way :) Lacrosse has become a place for Arcelio to really express himself. You may not have guessed by my gushings of him this far, but Arcelio is extremely quiet. In our time getting to know one another, I’ve seen him take on a new confidence in practices - from his contagious chuckle after I mess up my Spanish to the “already??” he throws at me if I say our time is up for the day.

Arcelio‘s dedication to the sport, to his personal improvement and to his team culminated in a huge success for him last week! He earned his own stick! His commitment, hard work and positive attitude have resulted in a well-deserved reward. His next challenge: keep track of his stick, take care of it and keep coming to practice! 

Jose, who is in 4th grade and comes to our afternoon practices, certainly knows a few things about stick responsibility, smiles and shooting. As one of the first boys to start coming to our programs nearly a year ago, Jose has put in maximum effort since the very beginning. He says that lacrosse has taught him “how to leave it all on the field” and to try his hardest. Not a practice goes by where he isn’t “cansado” (“tired”) by the end, shouting for a give-and-go multiple times over, and trying his best to have his team win the relay races. Though he admittedly enjoys offense and scoring goals more than running back down the field to play defense, he understands that you must execute both to be a good player. His answer when you ask the players, “What did you like about today’s practice?” is nearly always the same: “me gustaba ganar y perder” (“I liked winning and losing”). This understanding of the game and what it means to be a part of a team at such a young age is inspiring to his teammates as well as to me as a coach! It’s awesome! And, like Arcelio, because of his dedication, Jose has earned the privilege of having his own stick. He chose a sweet black and red one… clearly he has great taste, too.

But, the thing about Jose that really makes him such an enjoyable player is that he’s a giving teammate. Whether its giving a gentle pass to a teammate who is still developing her catching skills or giving his time to explain a drill to a confused friend, Jose brings his teammates along with him. And, he does it with a smile plastered on his nine-year-old face. From the moment he arrives at practice to the moment he leaves to go play with other friends, Jose is smiling, laughing and cheering. 

So, way to go Arcelio and Jose! The dedication of these two amazing dudes is helping to enhance our programs here in Bocas and to make them as fun for the kids as possible. Knowing that the sport of lacrosse is impacting their behaviors and seeing how happy it makes them is the best reward a coach could ask for. Keep up the hard work! 

— Maria, Panama PD