HE’E Planning Meeting
July 22, 2014
Hawaii Leadership Forum, Topa Financial Center, Bishop Street Tower, 700 bishop Street, Suite 1791, Honolulu, HI 96813
9:00-11:00am
Attendees: Ethan Allen (PREL), Jennifer Dang (DOE), Lisa Talaro (TLC), Lauren Baer (TLC), Mary Weir (FACE), Kathy Bryant (HE’E), Cheri Nakamura (DOE)
9:00-9:10 Welcome and Announcements
9:10-10:30 Continued Discussion on Priority Action Items
- Juvenile Justice System (Kathy Bryant)
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) (electronic presentation available)
- Safe Routes to Schools
- Breakfast After the Bell (handout)
- Afterschool Network (handout)
10:30-10:45 Other Business
After discussion on prospective Coalition priority ideas, Coalition members decided to focus on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), specifically, strategies to highlight and advocate for the survey. After an informative presentation by Tonya Lowery St. John and Susan Saka at the Special meeting on July 16, the group felt energized to work on this topic.
In the Special Meeting presentation, we learned that there are a number of obstacles to taking the survey. One obstacle is the lack of understanding of the survey, for example, how it can identify important trends in youth behavior and how the survey can be used to qualify for federal grants. Another obstacle is having the survey be “opt-in,” where parents must give active consent for student to take survey. Our understanding is in most states, the survey is “opt-out,” where a parent can choose for their child not to participate in the survey. Other coalitions in the health and human services arena such as PHOCUSED, or community organizations such as Adult Friends for Youth also aim to heighten the awareness of the YRBS survey, and there is opportunity for HE’E to partner with such groups to outreach and advocate. Finally, we also see the survey as a potential tool BOE could use to set policy and the DOE could use as an indicator to fulfill certain goals in the Strategic Plan, in particular, in areas of safety and well being of students.
Another area the group expressed interest in is learning more about the Ho’opono Mamo project, a new juvenile justice diversion system designed to guide youth away from the juvenile justice system to a pathway of supportive programs to help them address those issues that may be leading to risky or harmful behavior.. For more information click here.
For other presented ideas such as Safe Routes to Schools, Breakfast Before the Bell and the Statewide Afterschool Network, the group decided to keep following these issues, and ask the key organizations leading action on these issues to keep the Coalition informed of their progress.
At the next Planning Meeting we will continue discussion on how to organize action on YRBS. We will also start brainstorming on ideas to support in upcoming legislative session.