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The summer months are a time that most people look forward to with great anticipation: the promise of good weather, raising gardens, outdoor activities and quality time with loved ones. For youth, the school year often takes up much of their days, so those cherished summer months provide time for them to visit with their grandparents, aunties, uncles and extended family that they may only see during the holidays otherwise.
With the idea that there will be no homework or tests for a few months, and seemingly endless free time to have fun, how does one continue to build community outside of the school year and stay engaged, while embracing the restful months of summer? The extension faculty with the University of Hawaii at Manoa Cooperative Extension asked this very question when discussing how to reach middle school youth and their families during the summer months to continue offering the Creating a Village program, an intergenerational life skills program for youth ages 11-13 that is traditionally offered during the school year.
Creating a Village began on Maui four years ago and has expanded to schools and sites across Oahu. The program includes middle school youth participants, teen mentors, adult partners and expert volunteers from the community. Following a 4-H club structure, the youth participants are introduced to life management skills including healthy living, financial literacy, job readiness, self-care and many other topics that assist in preparing them for adulthood. The teen mentors act as the "cool older cousins," providing a role model approach for the participants, while also learning alongside the youth participants and gaining vital work experience and employment skills. The adult partner facilitates the program and acts as the "aunty" or "uncle," working directly with the teen mentors to build opportunities for the entire group to develop leadership and communication skills.
Club meetings also include an expert from the community who leads hands-on learning experiences with the group. The experts act as the "kupuna" in the village with knowledge and wisdom to share with younger generations. They are an important and highly valued component to Creating a Village who share real-world life experiences with the youth.
The goal of each Creating a Village club meeting is to provide an engaged and fun learning environment for the youth participants while building a community through intergenerational interaction and support in a noncompetitive space. Would you be willing to join the program and volunteer for a few hours this summer?
Program staff are actively gearing up for summer 2023 programming with a new cohort of youth participants, teen mentors and community experts, providing a unique opportunity for Creating a Village participants to learn, grow and build community, while not feeling the traditional pressures that come along with the school year and its workload. Restful engagement! If you are interested in volunteering a few hours this summer to share your expertise and life knowledge, Creating a Village would be happy to welcome you to the 'ohana! The Maui program will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 6 through June 29 in Kahului. If you know of a youth between the ages of 11 to 13 that would benefit from a program like Creating a Village, spaces are still available, and applications are currently being accepted.
For more information about the program, visit https://go.hawaii.edu/XXe or email Alison Somilleda at asomille@hawaii.edu.
* Alison Somilleda is a guest author for this month's Aging Matters column. She is faculty in the Kahului office of University of Hawai'i at Manoa Cooperative Extension. Aging Matters covers topics of interest to adults who are aging (everyone!) and appears on the third Saturday of each month.