KIHEI - A peer-driven substance-abuse-prevention program at Lokelani Intermediate School has received a $12,500 grant from the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation.
The Maui Hero Project, a program of the nonprofit Aloha House, creates a bonding experience for students, teachers and adult community volunteers, and a model for substance-abuse prevention through character education and peer-cultural development.
"The program is based on the myths and legends of the Hawaiian hero Maui and encourages youth to find their heroes within," said a news release about the Maui Hero Project.
The mentors or heroes "naturally rise up" in a rite of passage, said Loren Lapow, project director and founder of the Maui Hero Project.
"They demonstrate peer leadership through their compassion, insight and ability to step up and reach out to their fellow students," she said in a news release.
Many peer educators are student achievers and student government leaders, but others are nontraditional learners, Lapow said. The latter have special qualities to offer their fellow students.
"They may have been through trauma early in their own lives, but they have the resiliency to find a meaningful life with supportive family and friends, and are in the best position to set the example for the kids who need it most," she said.
As the project's sole private funder, A&B supports the architecture of the program and its goals.
"We know that by the time they are in middle school, children are significantly influenced by their peers," said A&B Foundation President Meredith J. Ching. "Having a formalized program that identifies 'heroes' amongst the student body - those who display compassion and solid human values, and can serve as positive role models to their peers; then trains them to tell their stories, their way, to their classmates - is an excellent approach."
The project is offered through Aloha House, a private nonprofit established in 1977 that treats substance abuse and other behavioral health issues.
For more information, see Web sites www.mauihero.com and www.alohahouse.org.
