HO'OMALU PARTNERS WITH 
HAWAI'I NATIONAL GUARD YOUTH CHALLENGE ACADEMY
FOR PROGRAMS INCLUDING HERITAGE KEEPERS

(Phil Lees, SRAE Program Director, phil@hooamlu.org)  

 

Ho’omalu has partnered with the Hawaii National Guard Youth CHalleNGe Academy (HNGYCA) to deliver its soft skills program to youth in the state of Hawaii. 

 

In the spring of 2021, Ho’omalu added Heritage Keepers as one of its soft skills programs, garnering strong support from the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy (HNGYCA) to provide Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) to the youth of HNGYCA.  

 

The mission of HNGYCA 6-month program is to intervene in, and reclaim, the lives of 16 to 18 year-old “at risk” youth; producing program graduates with the values, life skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed as productive citizens.  Youth ChalleNGe cadets have had many life and family challenges, but desire to improve.

 

In May 2021 Ho’omalu staff successfully delivered a pilot of the Heritage Keepers program to a cohort group of 33 HNGYCA cadets and program staff.  The response to the program was so positive, the NGYCA has included SRAE as a foundational component of their life-coping skills program. 

 

To make this a reality requires finances. Ho’omalu’s SRAE Program Director submitted a grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (HHS).  The Result – HHS has partnered in the project, providing two years of financial support. 

 

Currently the program is being delivered to 79 cadets (59 male, 20 female).  As the COVID restrictions ease, the Youth Challenge Academy is expected to register 150 to 200 cadets in each of the four six-month programs to be run in 2022 and 2023.  ________________________________________________________________________

Mahalo to our Partners: 

This project was made possible by Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2020-ACF-ACYF-TS-1925 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Its contents are solely the responsibility of Ho'omalu Native Hawaiian Organization and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.