The Humane Society

Hey. This is Courtney. Last Thursday I went to an awesome place called the "Humane Society." This is a very helpful organization, what they do is take care of animals. They pick them up if they are abandoned, then they take care of them and nourish them. Then people can adopt them!

When I went there, after we talked about what we had to do and also after we broke up into teams, we got a scavenger hunt list. Then we broke up into teams. First my team went to the cat house to visit all of the cats. (They were soooo cute!) I didn't actually go in but I went by the window and a cat clawed into my shorts while trying to paw at me. :)

After that we visited all the dogs and watched other cute dogs swim in a pond thing. After that we left but I can't wait until I can go again....thank you! :)

~Courtney N., 7th Grade

CARE Field Trip to Hawaiian Humane Society

Last week the Aliamanu BGCH went on their first field trip. Youth that had been involved in the CARE program (Compassion and Responsibility Education) were invited to visit the Hawaiian Humane Society to learn about animals and how the organization works. Our group of 11 youth walked the grounds reading fun facts on signs, checking out all the animals for adoption, and visiting the cat house (their favorite). To view some photos from the event, feel free to check out our photo album! Please enjoy the next blog from the winner of this week's Blogger Battle!

~Natalie Pawluk Moore, YDD

Thoughts on Statehood...

Today's blog was more complex and required more critical thinking than the past few weeks, but the youth did a great job. We had a brief discussion on Statehood and even read an original article from LIFE in 1959 about Hawaii becoming part of the United States. Then, I asked them to share their thoughts on why they are grateful Hawaii is a state. This week, I think it makes more sense to pull ideas from everyone's blogs instead of just sharing one person's thoughts.

We had an interesting mix of youth participate in our Blogger Battle--including a few military youth and even a youth who moved here from American Samoa. They all felt fortunate that as citizens of the United States, they were able to live in Hawaii. Kyler S., a military youth, stated that "if Hawaii did not become a state, I would not have been transferred here." Sheldon H. was thankful that Hawaii was made a state because Barack Obama was born and raised here, giving him the opportunity to become President. Courtney N. had an interesting perspective on Hawaii's statehood, sharing: "I like that Hawaii is a state because now I get to learn more about Hawaii because it's part of the United States." She realized that schools often emphasize our nation's history over that of other countries, and if Hawaii was it's own country, we might not know as much about the islands.

Two other youth, Justice M. and George B. both appreciated the fact that Hawaii offers many people the opportunity to meet others from various cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Justice M. encouraged people from different cultures to talk to each other and teach each other about their backgrounds. George B. thinks that "statehood was a good idea because it let people from other countries come to the islands to get to know each other. People from many countries meet people that may be just like them. Maybe we can find out what they like and dislike and we can try to learn each other's languages." I think that both of these youth were recognizing that Hawaii provides us with an opportunity to learn about a lot of different people's beliefs and values, and when it comes down to it, maybe there's more similarities between people than differences.

~Natalie Pawluk Moore, YDD

My First Week of Boys and Girls Club...

Hey. This is Courtney and I am part of the Boys and Girls Club at the school of Aliamanu Middle School. I actually have only been here since Thursday...but still...I guess it counts still. Well, here goes my few days.

I'm gonna start out with my second day of Boys and Girls Club...my first day I only played table tennis. I know...I did say what I did but I didn't get into detail though.

On my second day I had loads of fun and a big surprise. I bought stuff from the snack bar and started to play ping pong...while I did this I saw and recognized some people from my classes, and then another girl named Kortney and you would never guess what happened! It ends up that she went to my old, old school called Keonaula and recognized me from there. I didn't recognize her at first but then it hit me. I did know her! We still keep talking and hanging out up until today. I bet we will tomorrow...I can't wait till tomorrow and I can see all of my friends! That's all about my first week of the Boys and Girls Club...thank you!!

~Courtney N., 7th Grade

My First Week at the Boys and Girls Club...

On the first day at the Boys & Girls Club, I was really shy because there were many students at the BGCH. So I told myself to "BE CALM AND JUST ENJOY YOURSELF." So I calmed down and something happened...I talked to people who I didn't know and I played foosball and ping pong with others. I enjoyed myself until the end of the day and I had a great time at the BGCH!

~Justice M., 7th Grade

LIT Jamboree 2010

This past weekend Aliamanu participated in the LIT Jamboree with clubhouses from Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Big Island! Teens from all over the state were invited to Camp Timberline for an overnight field trip to participate in special team building and leadership activities.

Kawehi shared: "When I went to the Jamboree, we did a lot of activities like the high ropes and low ropes. There were a lot of games and I got to meet a lot of people from all of the islands. They were all nice to me and I also met some of my old friends. I loved it!"

Click here to see more photographs from the Jamboree!

LITs from Hawaii will be planning more events in the future to create fundraisers, community service projects and other group activities to promote positive youth bonding among the teens.

~Kawehi C., Aliamanu LIT President, 8th Grade, with Natalie Pawluk Moore

One Week Down!

The first week at Aliamanu BGCH has gone well. New members are still pouring in through the doors and everyone is getting a chance to try out all sorts of new programs. The biggest hit at the club has been the snack bar! The snack bar is stocked with drinks, cup of noodles, chips, cookies, crackers, fruit, pudding, applesauce and more. Two youth members are selected every day to work the snack bar stand together, serving other members and keeping track of all transactions and the money. So far, they've done an excellent job!

We're also starting off three main programs: the photography program, which is run by a student volunteer from the photography department at UH; the CARE program, a curriculum designed by the Hawaiian Humane Society; and the Leaders in Training program with a fresh group of teens. I'm looking forward to seeing everything that the youth learn and create from these programs!

For this week's blogs, we actually have a few to feature. Kawehi shared with me her experience at the LIT Jamboree that happened this past weekend at Camp Timberline. And there were two blogs that were selected for the Blogger Battle competition, each sharing about their own unique perspectives of the first week at the Boys and Girls Club. So please enjoy hearing from our youth about all of the excitement the week held!

~Natalie Pawluk Moore, Youth Development Director

What I Hope to Do at the Boys and Girls Club...

What I hope to do here at the Boys and Girls Club this year is to go on extreme fun field trips like going to Ice Palace, Wet and Wild and many more. I also hope we can do a "Friends for Change" like on Disney Channel. We can clean our world by picking up trash and using our own bags instead of plastic bags. Then the reason why I signed up for the Boys and Girls Club is because when Ms. Natalie told us we can play fun games here like ping pong, pool table, activities and enjoy some snacks. So that's what I hope to do here at the Boys and Girls Club!

~Caitlin M., 7th Grade

First Week of School!

The new school year has started with plenty of excitement, new friends and more programs! It's so much fun to meet so many new youth as they walk through our doors for the first time to learn what the club is all about. I especially like having the opportunity to get to know the youths' personalities and to learn more about their interests and unique qualities that they bring to the club.

Our first Blogger Battle topic simply asked the members what they hoped to do this upcoming year in the organization. It was really inspiring to see that they mentioned ideas such as helping others in need and working to preserve our environment. They also hope to have the opportunity for field trips and other adventures. August already has three field trips scheduled: a visit to the Hawaiian Humane Society, a photography excursion to Chinatown and a Leaders in Training trip to Target to study gender stereotypes. The goal is to have at least two field trips planned every month so members have the chance to explore surrounding communities and different parts of the island.

After reading through all of the Blogger Battle entries, one was selected to display on our Blogspot site. Please enjoy the next entry written by Caitlin M!

~Natalie Pawluk Moore, Youth Development Director