How did Thai Community Lacrosse begin?
In 2011, I was sitting at a coffee shop with my friends. We’d just got back from the States after living there for more than 10 years. We’d played lacrosse there and we talked about bringing it to Thailand. So we set up TCL, an independent non-profit organization to teach lacrosse to slum kids and help them through sport.
What kind of kids are in the program?
Many of them used to sniff glue and some of them used to be in drug gangs. The kids are controlled by the drug dealers who transport the drugs around the slum through the kids.
You must have come across some bad cases?
Yes there is a situation with one fourth grader who used to play with us. His parents are drug addicts and have spent time in jail. One day, he didn’t show up to practice and we found that the reason was his mom had gotten him out of school and forced him to work so she can buy more drugs. We try to help him but it’s a family matter. At the end of the day, this kind of problem is beyond our reach. The school talks to the parents of the kids and suggests our lacrosse program as an after-school activity, but when they get home, it’s a family affair.
What is the toughest challenge teaching these kids?
To make them trust us. The kids have so many random people giving them free stuff at school [as charity] and they never come back. I think they feel unwanted a lot of times. People come and try to be their friends but then they go and they never get to see them again. We tried to gain their trust by practicing three times a week in the first year. We wanted to make them feel like we are always there.
How do you keep in touch with the kids after they leave the lacrosse club?
There are two ways to track the kids. The first is through the school, however we are also trying to develop an alumni of all the previous lacrosse players. Every year, I set up an event for the kids to come and play lacrosse together. Some of them continue their studies while some kids have to work for a living. It’s really up to the kids whether they use the experiences they get from us to change their lives. Many have decided not to get involved with the gangs and have turned into good citizens.
Thai Community Lacrosse, www.tclacrosse.com, 02-348-8379
