HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0774.033 2018-2020 PI*661
r
COMM,774
--Debra Tale o-E r°eow COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAIII
June 1, 2020 Ti 2 ani c I n
Dear Hawaii County Council Members, Date 'JUS=J 2020
I am submitting testimony in support of Comm. 774.12 for your June 4, 2020 Special
Meeting.This communication proposes to change the operating budget for the Hawaii
County Committee on the Status of Women from$0 to $10,000 for next fiscal year. I am in
full support of this proposal.
I'm Debra Toledo-Ebreo,a current resident of Ahualoa and a health educator with the
Hamakua-Kohala Health Center. I am a lifelong resident of Hawaii Island and was a
member of the Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women from 2015 through
March of this year.
My time on the CSW was focused on prevention of teen dating violence because I work
closely with youth and see the devastating impacts that teen dating violence can have on
their development into adults and successful members of our society. I have found a way
to integrate the cell phone safety cards that the CSW developed into my curriculum when I
go into schools and teach.This has become an important resource and often times opens up
communication,initiated by the students,when they are ready to discuss the confidential
and sensitive details about the abusive relationships that they are in.
The generation of students in our classrooms today receive/retain information and learn
details in short segments at a time.The amount and tone of information on the cell phone
safety cards are especially effective in reaching and supporting youth in our middle and
high schools. Between myself and colleagues in other health clinics across the island,we
have distributed more than 20,000 of these cell phone safety cards over the last four years.
It is my intention to continue distributing these cards for as long as the CSW is able to keep
updating and sharing them with us.We are honored to be a partner with the CSW on this
special and important project that allows us to help youth during times in their lives when
they are most vulnerable.
Although I have had to step away temporarily from being a member on the CSW, I still
wholeheartedly support the great work of the committee.All of the members are extremely
dedicated and committed to the mission of serving and supporting women of our precious
Hawaii County. Reinstating a budget to allow the CSW to continue producing the resources
it does will greatly allow the rest of us to also continue doing the work that we do.This is
an important partnership that I encourage Hawaii County to preserve.
Thank you for your consideration,
Debra Toledo-Ebreo
Comm. No.
Ref.To: uM�-
f.Dota M -4 2QZ