KAPA‘A n About 15 Kapa‘a High School students recently signed up for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and will serve as volunteer mentors to Kapa‘a Elementary School students. On Monday, the “Bigs” met their “Littles” for the first time
KAPA‘A n About 15 Kapa‘a High School students recently signed up for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and will serve as volunteer mentors to Kapa‘a Elementary School students.
On Monday, the “Bigs” met their “Littles” for the first time during a special kick-off celebration held at Kapa‘a Elementary School.
“We are very pleased to help start a Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Kaua‘i,” Mayor Bryan Baptiste said in a prepared statement. “Our children are our greatest resource. If each of us would take a child under our wing, it would make such a huge difference in the decisions the child makes. I believe that ultimately this program can help us solve our drug problem.”
A $60,000 grant administered by the state Office of Youth Services was awarded to the county to get the program started.
Last August, Michelle Shofner was hired to open the BBBS Kaua‘i office and now serves as the island’s program coordinator.
Shofner expressed excitement about getting the program off the ground.
“I’m excited and thrilled to be part of this wonderful program,” Shofner said in the prepared statement. “It is my hope that Kaua‘i’s youth will be strengthened by BBBS and learn to believe in themselves and follow their dreams.”
Shofner explained that there are several types of mentoring programs offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters, and that relationship building between the Bigs and Littles is integral to the success of all the programs.
The arrangement between Kapa‘a High and Kapa‘a Elementary school students is called site-based mentoring. It means that the students interact at a particular location, usually schools.
All of the Kapa‘a High School students were screened and interviewed before being selected for the mentoring program. Then the Bigs were trained and matched, one-to-one, with a Little from the elementary school. The pairs are expected to remain together for a whole school year.
A staff person from BBBS is assigned to each matched pair to provide support, guidance and address additional training needs that may arise.
The mentor will provide educational support for the youth, but activities are also planned to foster their relationship. “Ukes on the Loose” is the first activity scheduled for participants in Kapa‘a’s mentoring program, and “Art on the Go” is set for this fall.
About 30 ‘ukulele have been donated to the program by the ‘Ukulele Guild of Hawai‘i, while Kamehameha Schools are sponsoring “Art on the Go” and handling transportation costs.
Shofner noted that BBBS plans to roll out other mentoring programs across the island over the next two years.
In the works is a lunchtime buddies program, which will take place at Wilcox Elementary School. Government workers will have the opportunity to become a mentor, and will walk to the school once a week to have lunch with their Little Brothers and Sisters. One of the goals of the lunchtime buddies program is to offer youngsters a chance to reconnect with the community by learning about government services provided by their “Bigs.”
In late spring, a community-based program is slated to begin. The Bigs and Littles in this program will spend time together doing things they enjoy out in the community.
Plans are also underway to start site-based programs at other Kaua‘i schools before the end of the year.
Theresa Koki, the county’s anti-drug coordinator, said there is a definite need for mentoring programs on the island.
She explained that although the population of Kaua‘i is relatively small, youngsters here are subject to the same social pressures faced by their peers on other islands and the Mainland.
“If you look at the 2000 Census, 47 percent of families on Kaua‘i have children under age 18,” Koki said, according to the prepared statement. “About 31 percent of grandparents living in these households are responsible for the care of their grandchildren. They, as well as single and working parents, need our support with nurturing their children and grandchildren, and offering them a mentoring program with a proven track record is one way we can help.”
Although the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is just getting off the ground here, Koki is optimistic about the impact it will have on the island’s keiki.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters is a 100-year-old organization and has been operating successfully in Hawai‘i for 43 years,” noted Koki. “Research indicates that Little Brothers and Sisters in the program are less likely to begin using illegal drugs, consume alcohol, skip school and classes, or engage in acts of violence. They also have greater self-esteem, confidence in their academic performance and are better able to get along with friends and family.”
To ensure the success of these partnerships, an ongoing assessment of the matches will be made based on issues of child safety, positive youth development, match relationship development and volunteer engagement.
“We’re hoping that community service groups as well as individuals will embrace the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and volunteer to serve as mentors,” said the mayor. “The more people volunteer to help our children, the stronger our community will become.”
To learn more, contact Shofner at 631-9495 or via e-mail at mshofner@bigshonolulu.org; or try Koki at 241-6312 or tkoki@kauai.gov.
