Gymdesk Partners with Guardian Project to Support Jiu-Jitsu-Powered Youth Programs Across the Globe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Austin, Texas — August 17, 2026 — Gymdesk, the gym management software trusted by martial arts academies across North America, today announced a partnership with Guardian Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bringing free jiu-jitsu training to at-risk youth in underserved communities worldwide. As part of the partnership, Gymdesk has made a donation to Guardian's programs and will provide free software accounts to select Guardian academies as they grow.

Guardian Project operates 36 locations across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and India, providing free training, mentorship, and in many cases, meals, medical care, and school tuition to the young people in their programs. Their model is simple and hard to argue with: get kids on the mat, and a lot of other things start to go right.

Alex Cuevas, CEO of Gymdesk, traveled to Guardian's Peru headquarters in Máncora in August to see the program firsthand, and to film an episode of Gymdesk Originals, the company's long-running video series documenting the real stories of gym owners and the communities they build.

"Every single kid I spoke to today talked about what their life would look like without this," said Cuevas. "Drugs, crime, trying to make a dollar any way they could. And then they talked about Guardian. You can't visit a place like this and not want to do more."

A mat in a living room in Máncora

The Máncora program started the way a lot of great things do: with a mat in someone's living room and a coach who wasn't going to stop regardless. Salvatore Sanguinetti, one of Guardian Gym Máncora's coaches, had been running informal jiu-jitsu programs in Peru since 2013, picking kids up off the street, talking to parents, growing the program one student at a time.

When Guardian Executive Director Calder Powers connected with him years later, it became the foundation for Guardian's first international expansion. Today, Guardian operates six academies across Peru alone.

Cuevas connected with that story immediately. "I grew up in a tough part of San Jose," he said. "My dad tried to block out as much of the hard stuff as he could so I'd have a chance. What I saw in Peru is people doing that for an entire community, at scale, on six continents."

Jiu-jitsu is the mechanism, not the point

What makes Guardian's model work, according to Powers, isn't the jiu-jitsu itself.

"Jiu-jitsu is a very, very small part of it," said Powers. "It's the mechanism, a place where kids have to show up, where they make friendships, where they feel seen. When those things compound, kids start making better decisions. They start believing they can do something bigger. A lot of kids making the wrong choices don't feel like they can do anything else. They look at the people around them and think that's just normal."

What the programs are producing

Guardian's programs are producing results that go beyond the mat. Oscar, a student in the Peru program, is now in his second semester studying physical therapy at university. A friend who watched him get there is a year away from completing his law degree. Kids who came in as bullies and kids who came in as victims are, in many cases, now training partners and mentors to younger students.

"The bully and the person they bullied both came here," said Sanguinetti. "Now they take the younger kids to surf. They look out for each other. That's what jiu-jitsu does."

Ethiopia and the scale of the work

The scope of what Guardian is taking on is significant. In Ethiopia, the organization runs the first youth social project in the entire country, serving 35 homeless youth with free training, twice-daily meals, medical care, and now school tuition. Powers has visited every program in the network, and the weight of what he's seen is evident.

"When they're on the mats, they're the happiest kids I've ever seen," he said. "But when they leave, what they go home to is really rough. We're doing the best we can, and every dollar we receive goes exactly to a program. If someone wants their donation to go to Guardian Peru, or Guardian Malaysia, 100% of it goes there."

Why Gymdesk got involved

For Gymdesk, the partnership is an extension of a belief the company has held since its founding: that what happens on the mat matters. The company's Gymdesk Originals series has now visited more than 80 academies across North America and beyond, documenting the owners and coaches who built communities, not just businesses.

"Our whole thing is less admin, more time on the mat," said Cuevas. "We build software so gym owners can spend less time on paperwork and more time with their members. What Guardian is doing is the fullest version of what that time can mean."

Gymdesk has published an interactive page featuring the inspiring stories of Guardian students, along with videos and figures with more details about Guardian and their collaboration with Gymdesk. Viewers interested in supporting Guardian's programs can visit guardiangym.org to donate or learn more about volunteering. Every dollar donated goes directly to programs. Guardian's overhead is fully covered separately, and every officer takes $0 in compensation.

About Gymdesk

Gymdesk builds gym management software for martial arts academies, fitness studios, and other membership-based gyms. Founded by gym owners for gym owners, Gymdesk handles billing, scheduling, member management, and more, so owner-operators can spend more time teaching and less time on admin. Learn more at gymdesk.com.

About Guardian Project

Guardian Project (guardiangym.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, legal name Guardian Training (EIN 47-1846753), that provides free jiu-jitsu training, mentorship, and wraparound support to at-risk youth in underserved communities worldwide. Operating across 36 locations in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and India, Guardian's programs are funded entirely through donations and contributions. Learn more at guardiangym.org.

Media Contact:
Hannah Clark
Marketing Manager, Gymdesk
hannah.c@gymdesk.com