Lt. Governor Unveils After-School Program in Hilo
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Lt. Governor Aiona last week helped launch an after-school program for students at Hilo Intermediate School.
Lt. Governor Aiona meets with two students in the after-school program at Hilo Intermediate School.
Called the “Kaunu‘u Program,” it is intended to assist and protect students who are vulnerable to risky behaviors caused by a lack of adequate adult supervision once the school bell rings.
“As a former family-court judge, I know that after-school hours are a critical time for our youth,” Lt. Governor Aiona said before a crowd of an estimated 100 parents, students and school officials gathered inside the cafeteria at Hilo Intermediate. “That time can represent either an opportunity to learn and grow, through quality after-school programs, or a time to experiment with unsafe behaviors, such as using drugs, drinking alcohol, or engaging in risky sexual behavior. With more and more children growing up in homes with two working parents or a single working parent, our families can benefit from the safe, structured learning opportunities that after-school programs provide.”
The new program at Hilo Intermediate runs on federal funds and is part of a $2.4 million statewide effort started by Lt. Governor Aiona four years ago on a small scale at Moloka‘i Middle School, but has grown to benefit more than 4,000 students in 18 schools across the state.
In 2004, the Lt. Governor introduced the program at Moloka‘i Middle School as a pilot project under the name UPLINK (Uniting Peer Learning, Integrating New Knowledge).
Teen pregnancy remains among the risky behaviors the program seeks to prevent. And the total number of pregnancies among teenagers served by the program statewide fell from 91 in 2005 to 52 a year ago, representing a 43 percent decrease in that two-year period.
“As a former family-court judge, I know that after-school hours are a critical time for our youth,” Lt. Governor Aiona said before a crowd of an estimated 100 parents, students and school officials gathered inside the cafeteria at Hilo Intermediate. “That time can represent either an opportunity to learn and grow, through quality after-school programs, or a time to experiment with unsafe behaviors, such as using drugs, drinking alcohol, or engaging in risky sexual behavior. With more and more children growing up in homes with two working parents or a single working parent, our families can benefit from the safe, structured learning opportunities that after-school programs provide.”
The new program at Hilo Intermediate runs on federal funds and is part of a $2.4 million statewide effort started by Lt. Governor Aiona four years ago on a small scale at Moloka‘i Middle School, but has grown to benefit more than 4,000 students in 18 schools across the state.
In 2004, the Lt. Governor introduced the program at Moloka‘i Middle School as a pilot project under the name UPLINK (Uniting Peer Learning, Integrating New Knowledge).
Teen pregnancy remains among the risky behaviors the program seeks to prevent. And the total number of pregnancies among teenagers served by the program statewide fell from 91 in 2005 to 52 a year ago, representing a 43 percent decrease in that two-year period.
- Read the Lt. Governor's column on launching the new after-school program here.
- Read the Hawai`i Tribune-Herald article, Keeping students safe and educated.
