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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0880.001 2020-2022 /LoLxnciC s. �D-22 CCHY.880 Humanity Hale INJ Written Testimony for: Res. 465-22: Inaba CRF, $3K to Humanity Hale for its life enhancing programs re at-risk youth Our Mission At Humanity Hale, we all have a part to play in creating the world we envision. The compassion and empathy we share is the driving force of our organization, and we excel when we are committed to seeing the humanity in everyone. By providing underserved youth with life enhancing programs, we create a pathway that will continue building promising futures in our community, by providing free education, art&culture life skills programs and 24/7 trauma support. Our Story Humanity Hale was created to let our youth know that they have a place to feel safe while discovering tools to release trauma and transmute pain through group and individual therapy, as well as various programs focusing on their overall well-being. For many of us who have grown up in Hawaii Nei,we have seen tremendous amounts of physical, mental and sexual abuse, throughout our friends, peers, communities and in often cases, in our own families. When young individuals don't have the necessary tools to process their traumas, cycles of abuse carry on throughout our community, often leading to alcoholism, drug use, domestic violence and mental health issues. We offer an open-ended program to allow individuals to stay for as long as they need us and potential to pay it forward by becoming future mentors. Comm. No. Ref.To:- LOunc,l Ref. gate AUG - 3 2022 Our program will provide the skills and abilities to further participants' education, cultural studies and community participation. Simultaneously, they will be lead into a dynamic, mission driven, nonprofit sector, learning job skills and participating in alternative programs to channel their traumas in a supported environment; Creating the skills to contribute to the work-force, cultivating the ability to analyze , synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions; The ability to articulate and apply a public service perspective; and the ability to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and ever-changing economy, backed by experience of our faculty, board members and supportive volunteers. We provide our keiki with the tools to thrive and for us. Experience The founder and volunteers of Humanity Hale have been involved in community organizations and youth programs for several years such as; Clinical experience treating trauma and PTSD within Big Island, social work for the Partners in Development Foundation, Awaken Arts Art Therapy Program with Sunburst Youth Academy, Behavioral Interventionist with Autism Interventions and Resources Inc. The process of opening the conversations for our mentees through art and culture has been life changing in most cases. Now our mentors come together to connect their individual knowledge and cultivate a much needed, all encompassing program for our youth. We have licensed psychotherapists, counselors, social workers, trained art therapists, Hawaiian cultural practitioners, skilled culinary specialists and social workers who will be on site to ensure the success of our ongoing program. Executive Summary Humanity Hale meets every Saturday from 12:30PM-4:30PM at Kuleana Education, enrolling 50 mentees from the ages of 8-17. By 2023, we expect our mentees intake to reach 100. We provide life enhancing programs such as; Hawaiian Arts, Art Therapy, Individual & Group Therapy, Life Skills, LGBTQA support&Abuse Prevention & Diversity Training. These programs are backed by our trained staff, volunteers and mentors, including licensed psychotherapists, counselors, trained art therapists, Hawaiian cultural practitioners, skilled culinary specialists and social workers who will be on site to ensure the success of our ongoing program. Each mentor will have to pass a thorough background check as the safety of our keiki is our highest priority. We believe that providing a supportive environment is critical to achieving the healing that we seek to provide, by uplifting our community from within. Our island and its people are interconnected, so it is our kuleana (responsibility) to create safe havens for our future generations. What impacts one, impacts the whole, meaning; there is a ripple effect that occurs when helping our youth uncover their power to positively impact the people and environments that surround them. This in turn creates a new generation of healed individuals that break the cycles of trauma within their families, so the cycles of abuse may stop with them. We then see less drug use, homelessness, abuse, poverty and crimes within our Big Island communities. f 3 s! 4 S I l i Program Need i Growing up in Hawaii without a stable home, positive role models to look up to and tools for success, especially during this tumultuous time, can be quite damaging to those in there adolescences. Many of the at-risk youth in our community fall behind and experience an extremely hard transition into adulthood. Today, about one in nine individuals on our islands, between the ages of 16 and 24 are neither working nor attending school. Often suffering from poor health conditions or mental illnesses that hinder their ability to develop physically or socially. Such issues not only affect our youth later in life, but they also prove harmful to society as a whole if traumas are not dealt with early on. Research shows that when youth grow up in environments with abuse, poverty and a lack of role models, they're more at risk for poverty, early pregnancy and violence. We have created these programs to cater to any and all needs for this generation to heal from their traumas, in healthy environments, backed by a peer and mentor support system. These tools will give our mentees several ways to express themselves and work on forward movement, rather than allowing them to fall back into unhealthy patterns. We break the abuse cycles now, before those traumas become ingrained into the fabric of their lives. We instill in them the knowing, that their past does not define them. In turn, we are creating the tools for a new generation of healthy, well-rounded individuals who become contributing members of our community. Program Activities Hawaiian Arts & Culture Our Hawaiian Arts Program was designed to awaken/strengthen mentees connection to the Hawaiian Culture. Through the spoken Hawaiian Language and the Art of Hula, mentees will gain insight to Hawaiian History, Botany, Geography of the surrounding lands, Protocols, Respect for themselves & others, accountability and a greater understanding of the world around them, regardless of their ancestral lineage. This program will be lead by kanaka `oiwi Kumu Keahikaaiohelo Kanahele. Art Therapy Our Art Therapy Program is a key program in releasing trauma and trapped emotions. The art medium will vary each week, as we start our session in group, with an open sharing platform and work to channel those feelings in constructive ways. This program will be lead by founder Charis Higginson, who is trained in Art Therapy, with guest appearances by professional artists Dominique Jacot & Miranda Ratner. Individual & Group Therapy Program Our therapy program addresses many of the behavioral outcomes present in underserved youth. Adverse Childhood Experiences, (ACEs) preventing early trauma to improve adult health. 1 in 6 adults experienced four or more types of ACE's and at least 5 of the top ten leading causes of i i i i death are associated with ACE's. Preventing ACE's could reduce the number of adults with depression by as much as 44%. i Individual and group therapy is effective at getting to the root cause of problem behaviors, rather than just treating symptoms. This type of setting, alongside ones peers can create a bonding experience with mentors and peers. Lily Bolton will be leading this program. Lily has more than 10 years of clinical experience treating trauma and PTSD. Life Skills Program Our Life Skills Program will provide mentees with a wide variety of life skills not taught in the public school system. The program will offer mentees: Cultivation of produce *Concept of food production for consumption *Preparation of nutrient dense food *Resume writing *Mock interviews *Budget management *Banking introduction *Work force preparation Weekly curriculum will rotate, with self sufficiency days IE; health & wellbeing from seed to sow (taking care of themselves from the inside out,) and workforce knowledge, growth & enhancement. We teach mentees how to grow a sustainable garden, culinary skills & to make nutritious decisions. We teach persona IizedtindividuaI growth skills and help them with problem solving for various situations that may present themselves throughout their lives. This program will be led by Chelsea Evans who specializes in social work for the Partners in Development Foundation, Liah Pacatang Member Relationship Specialist at Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union and various local farmers. Abuse Prevention & Diversity Training With high percentages of abuse in Hawaii, it is our goal to break the patterns of trauma, in hopes that the next generation of our youth will operate from a place of new found healing and not from a place of anger, pain and learned behavior. In this program, we will address current issues, break down the ways in which we are being affected by abuse and retrain the mind to release trauma, understand diversity and prevent cycles of abuse. We will have psychologists and counselors on staff, using PTSD awareness and transmutation tools. Kristin Francis who is a sexual and physical abuse and complex PTSD survivor, experienced in transitional rehabilitation will be heading this program. Expected Results Year 1, we are serving 50 mentees per session with four sessions per year, which will bring in 200 mentees. Year 2 we will double our intake to 100 mentees per session, which will bring us to 400 mentees per year. This program will be ongoing with a transition plan for all mentees, to begin furthered education, continued counseling, job placement and an open door program, to create mentee to mentor opportunities for former mentees to volunteer with new students or to re join Humanity Hale if further assistance is required. Course Competency Commitment& Mentee Conduct Guide The Humanity Hale Curriculum Guide will provide details weekly, of each program description and lesson plan for that week. These program requirements are designed to help them achieve their goals. Staff members and volunteers mentoring our youth, through the Humanity Hale program, are responsible for keeping the students on task and accomplishing their goals. Conclusion Through Goals and Measurement: The three main goals of Humanity Hale: To create a safe space for our youth to heal and learn to become healthy, kind, contributing members of society. To end the cycles of trauma in our community so that our future generations can thrive. To see the numbers of substance& domestic abuse go down exponentially. Throughout each 12 week program, we will have several progress reports updated from the mentors, teachers and counselors of each program. By updating these reports weekly, we will be able to track the progression of each mentee. This will be accomplished through observation of every individuals participation in art projects, writing and the progression of openly sharing, both individually and with their peers, There will be opportunities for our youth to present their art, poetry, other forms of written pieces, dances and individual discoveries. There will be accolades for participation and mentees that exceed performance progress, will be given the opportunity to become part of our mentee to mentor program, give it back to future generations by becoming a part of the Humanity Hale's Ohana. Humanity Hale's Programs are specifically created to foster healing through arts, & education. Our 12 weeks programs run four times per year(48 weeks total.)Our program thus far, has been self-funded by the founder of Humanity Hale & our first program, which began June 11th, has helped over 32 underserved youth so far, with more Keiki signed up weekly. We have already seen tremendous change in their psyche/overall well-being and parents/guardians have reported a shift in behavioral issues. The peer to peer group counseling has been an incredible support system & our mentees often meet for activities outside of sessions. We implement a crisis prevention safety plan & progress tracking report to keep our kids accountable as we document their progression throughout our program. Partnership By community outreach, we have successfully cultivated collaborations with the following organizations; Toni Symons Program Director, Family Assessment Center, Na Kahua Hale O Ulu Wini Erin Axton Ryggs, LCSW, Clinical Supervisor, Child & Family Services 3 3 3 Sarah Benjamin, CFS i Alana Power, Project Director, Project Pilina w; Sharla-Ann Fujimoto, Epic Ohana Lani Bowman & Deborah Fukushima, PID Foundation Kristine Kuwada, School Counselor, Students A-K Coordinator, Migrant Education Program, Konawaena High School Franz Weber, Community Activist, Paying it Forward West Hawaii Cecilia M. Royale, Behavioral Health Case Manager, West Hawaii Community Health Center Noelani Anderson, Peer Mediation Coordinator, West Hawaii Mediation Center Stephanie Marie Beeby, M.S. Founder, CEO of In Flow CEO Consulting Dana Kern, Teacher/Co-Administrator/Founder at Kuleana Education Partnership: Janice Ikeda, Resilience Hub Partner Vibrant Hawaii, Executive Director The connections within our community is a daily effort of outreach and we will continue to create partnerships with community leaders and youth enhancement specialists. Through these connections, we have already received 32 mentees into our programs. Each connection to these organizations has opened up resources for knowledge, what's the possibility of or youth to join our program by next quarter and a plethora of helpful information on how to keep us thriving. Year 1, we are serving up to 50 mentees per session with four sessions per year, which will bring in 200 mentees. Year 2 we will double our intake to 100 mentees per session, which will bring us to 400 mentees per year. I This program will be ongoing with a transition plan for all mentees, to begin furthered education, continued counseling, job placement and an open door program, to create mentee to mentor opportunities for former mentees to volunteer with new students or to re-join Humanity Hale if further assistance is required. Budget I The program budget is broken down into a three year plan for all costs. If not all anticipated s funding is received, then grant money will be allocated directly to program costs & will continue to have to run without a program director or additional staff until additional funding is available. HUMANITY HALE: TOTAL OPERATIONAL COSTS I i EXPENSES YEAR 1 Personnel Services Program Director$60,000 Chief Operations Officer $60,000 YEAR 2 Program Director$62,000 Chief Operations Officer$62,000 Director of Philanthropy $50,000 YEAR 3 Program Director$64,000 Chief Operations Officer$64,000 Director of Philanthropy$52,000 Director of Major Gifts $50,000 Personnel Total $120,000 $174,000 $230,000 Fringe Benefits $19,000 $28,000 $39,000 Personnel Service + Fringe Total $139,000 3 $202,000 $269,000 I ADDITIONAL EXPENSES Year 1 Meals/Snacks/Drinks $13/per day x100 students x12 weeks=$7,800 x4 sessions/year= Total $31,200 YEAR 2 $13/per day x100 students x12 weeks=$15,600 x4 sessions/year= Total $62,400 $13/per day x100 students x12 weeks=$15,600 x4 sessions/year= Total $62,400 YEAR 3 Transportation Van Rental $100/day x12 =$1,200 x4 sessions/year =$4,800 Gas $1,000 Total $5,800 Van Purchase $40,000 Gas $1,000 Insurance $2,200 Total $43,200 Second Van Purchase $40,000 Gas $1,000 Insurance $2,200 Total $43,200 Supplies Art & Educational Supplies per 50 students $2,000 x4 sessions/year= Total $8,000 Art & Educational Supplies per 100 students $4,000 x4 sessions/year= i I Total $16,000 Art & Educational Supplies per 100 students $4,000 x4 sessions/year= i I Total $16,000 Insurance & Background Checks I Liability Insurance $2,300 i i Background checks per mentor/volunteer$30/per 15 $450 Total $2,750 Liability Insurance $3,000 Background checks per mentor/volunteer$30/per 30 $900 Total $3,900 Liability Insurance $3,000 Background checks per mentor/volunteer$30/per 30 $900 Total $3,900 Anticipated Revenue Year 1 $238,950 Year 2 $327,500 Year 3 $394,500 Mahalo Nui for taking the time to read our proposal and written testimony! Charis Higginson, Founder/CEO Humanity Hale Mahalo nui loa, kakou! Ua ola ioko i ke aloha—"Love gives life within" Charis Humanityhale.org Humanityhale@gmail.com 808-990-2892