Weekend Clubs
During the week our children are enrolled in school and Safe Passage programs which keep them safe and off the streets. In addition, Safe Passage offers clubs for teens as a way for them to receive additional support, be in a safe environment, and to partake in skill building activities and fun excursions. These clubs meet every Saturday.
The boys and girls clubs provide the teens with a space to discuss different issues that they may be facing at home, at school, or in their communities while also introducing different arts and crafts projects, sports and skill building activities. Our goal is to help these teens grow confidence and boost their self esteem so that they can make healthy decisions in their lives. Often the teens have special excursions such as visiting a museum, going to a water park, or even hiking a volcano. Most recently the boys group visited the Olympic training gym for Guatemalan weight lifters. While there they learned the important lesson of what it takes to be a champion - studying hard, staying healthy, and a lot of perseverance!
Eli Lopez, a Guatemalan Teacher with Safe Passage, leads the Boys Club in Guatemala City. He expressed “there’s a lot of interest in the Club - we have between 10 and 15 boys coming out every Saturday. The idea of taking the Club to the Pan American Weightlifting Championships in Guatemala City was two-fold. We thought that it would be inspirational and exciting for the boys to learn about the sport. The idea of being strong has a natural appeal to young boys. Also, Olympic-style weightlifting programs have been successful in underserved urban areas in the U.S. The other dimension was international – there were athletes, men and women, from 12 countries at the event.”
The girls and boys clubs are critical in keeping the teens safe and off the streets.
The mothers are also encouraged to join a Saturday club, where they too, take part in skill building activities and discuss topics such as: parenting, hygiene and their children’s education.
Many of the mothers have worked in the garbage dump for 15, 20 even 30 years! Joining the mother’s club provides them with the opportunity to learn new skills, strengthen community and set new goals for themselves! The mothers have participated in sewing lessons, carpentry, painting and other fun and educational activities.
