About Lucha vida, Inc.
Mission
Mission
Mission
Lucha Vida, Inc., "Wrestle Life", was born from the urgent need to uplift at-risk youth in the South Bronx, one of the most economically challenged areas in the US. Over the past decade, this district has consistently ranked last in health outcomes in New York State too.
Lucha Vida's mission is to combat health and social issues affecting
Lucha Vida, Inc., "Wrestle Life", was born from the urgent need to uplift at-risk youth in the South Bronx, one of the most economically challenged areas in the US. Over the past decade, this district has consistently ranked last in health outcomes in New York State too.
Lucha Vida's mission is to combat health and social issues affecting youth in the South Bronx through a holistic program that includes academic support, healthy lifestyle workshops, access to nutritious foods, mentorship, leadership development, and wrestling with its principles of discipline, perseverance, and fitness as guidance.
Lucha Vida seeks to increase the participation of girls and youth of color in the sport of wrestling.
Lucha Vida started the Taft High School boys and girls wrestling teams during the 2012-2013 school year, and the middle school co-ed team during the 2014-2015 school year.
Vision
Mission
Mission
Lucha Vida's holistic approach to youth development works, supported by empirical and anecdotal evidence. Young people who commit to the program perform better in school, have reduced incidences of anti-social behavior, are generally healthier and more fit, establish and build positive relationships, have better inter-gender relationships
Lucha Vida's holistic approach to youth development works, supported by empirical and anecdotal evidence. Young people who commit to the program perform better in school, have reduced incidences of anti-social behavior, are generally healthier and more fit, establish and build positive relationships, have better inter-gender relationships, and feel better about their potential life outcomes.
Working within the confines of the NYC Dept. of Education limits the effectiveness of our program. Lucha Vida's vision includes finding a home outside of Taft in the Bronx. The Lucha Center will have a dedicated practice area, private restrooms and lockers, a kitchen and dine-in area, studios for academic and mentoring sessions, a trainer's room, and a media room.
The Lucha Center model can be replicated throughout other at-risk areas in the Bronx, NYC, state, and country.
The Program
The Documentary
The Documentary
Middle School Co-Ed Wrestling
High School Boys Wrestling
High School Girls Wrestling
Academic Support
Mentorship
Healthy Lifestyle Workshops
Pre & Post-Practice Food & Snacks
Medical Physicals
The Documentary
The Documentary
The Documentary
"LUCHA: A Wrestling Tale" captures the inspiring journeys of four teenage girls in the South Bronx who join the girls wrestling team at Taft High School, each facing struggles such as homelessness, immigration, cultural norms, and academic challenges. It highlights their resilience, determination, and the transformative power of sport, of
"LUCHA: A Wrestling Tale" captures the inspiring journeys of four teenage girls in the South Bronx who join the girls wrestling team at Taft High School, each facing struggles such as homelessness, immigration, cultural norms, and academic challenges. It highlights their resilience, determination, and the transformative power of sport, offering a message of hope and empowerment against all odds.
The documentary sheds light on la lucha (the struggle) facing young women, inspiring action, change, and more luchadoras.
Shot over the course of three plus years, in a gritty verité style, the film weaves together practices, matches, and “at home” footage to create an intimate portrait of four young women struggling to come to grips with the daily challenges around them.
Bronx Premiere Coming December 2023!
Join Us
Interested in Helping Our Cause?
Drop us a line and let us know how you'd like to help. Your support will enable us to meet our goals and fund our mission.
your Donations will make a difference
Folks familiar with our program know the meaning of the photo of tape on the mat. You see, because we operate on a shoe-string budget, and mat tape is expensive, we must "save the tape". After practice and home matches, wrestlers carefully peel off the tape so it may be reused. It has become tradition. Moving forward, as we aim to open the Lucha Center, we will continue to reuse the tape, but not out of necessity, but because of tradition.
Your generosity will make a difference!
The Lucha Center
For several years, we wrestled in the cafeteria, sometimes practicing along other clubs. Then, we were moved to the back of a locker room. There was a stint in another corner of the building - could barely fit an entire mat in there. Moved back to the cafeteria, only to be pushed back to another locker room. At Taft, we battle other programs over space. Our wrestling conditions have been subpar for the entirety of our existence. A space we could call our own would be a game-changer for Lucha Vida and all of New York City wrestling.
Our #1 priority as we move forward is to raise funds for the development of Lucha Center.
Wrestling Shoes
No lie, we've got 10+ year hand-me-down wrestling shoes! While there is a sense of pride of having shoes that old, we need new shoes - ones that will last another 10 years.
Uniforms
We're on a mission to rid the world of singlets! Maybe it's not our mission, but we recognize that the singlets are a barrier to entry for many young people. We need to update our uniforms and warmups.
Training
While Lucha Vida is mission-driven, we strive to create the best wrestlers in their weight classes. Even when we can attract top-notch coaches to the Bronx, we have to send our most committed wrestlers to different parts of the city, state, and country in order to face quality competition. A team van would go a long way towards ensuring our wrestlers can make more training sessions with top-notch coaches and better competition.
Nutrition
Nutrition is a critical determinant of good health. We started the healthy food portion of our programming with smoothies. Gradually, we've upgraded the quality and quantity of food. For many students, the food Lucha Vida provides is the best meal of the day...sometimes the only one. We want to expand our food program to include famliy members.
Award Winning Documentary!
LUCHA: A WRESTLING TALE
DOC NYC FIlm Festival - Metropolis Grand Jury Prize
DOC NYC Film Festival - Audience Award Runner-up