December 17, 2006
Contributed by Liz Ahana
The first conference of its kind in Hawai'i will take place during National Mentoring Month and promises to be an enlightening experience for educators, service providers and Native Hawaiian families according to Kamehameha Schools' Mentoring Branch coordinator Gina Karas.
"We're honored and excited to be able to offer this conference to the people in our communities that are helping to make the difference in the lives of our youth," said Karas.
"As the oldest and largest mentoring organization in Hawai'i, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu is very pleased to be a co-sponsor and participant in the first-ever Hawai'i Mentoring Conference together with Kamehameha Schools and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs," said Dennis Brown, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The conference will feature keynote speaker and mentoring expert Dr. Susan Weinberger. The author of "Mentoring a Movement: My Personal Journey" among numerous journals and publications on the subject, Dr. Weinberger is also a consultant to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency and is a recipient of President Clinton's Volunteer Action Award for her work in mentoring.
"We know there are many youth-serving organizations that provide mentoring services or would like to start mentoring programs," said Brown. "We see this conference as an opportunity to bring everyone together to share the wealth of knowledge about mentoring from a wide variety of perspectives and approaches."
The conference will also focus on youth mentoring programs in Hawai'i, Australia and New Zealand - their effective recruitment and training strategies as well as opportunities to meet those who are developing mentoring programs statewide.
"There is so much we can learn from each other to help us expand mentoring, especially from a Hawaiian cultural perspective," added Brown. "I commend the Kamehameha Schools Mentoring Branch for taking the lead in developing a conference that will benefit those who attend as well as those who will be served by mentoring programs in the future."
For more information about the Hawai'i Mentoring Conference or to register call (808) 843-3532 or from the Neighbor Islands, 1-800 842-4682 ext. 3532 or 3534 or visit www.ksbe.edu.
Kamehameha Schools is a private, educational, charitable trust founded and endowed by the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Kamehameha Schools operates a statewide educational system enrolling more than 6,700 students of Hawaiian ancestry at K-12 campuses on O'ahu, Maui and Hawai'i and at 31 preschool sites statewide. Thousands of additional Hawaiian learners are also being served through a range of other Kamehameha Schools outreach programs, community collaborations and financial aid opportunities in Hawai'i and across the continental United States.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
