Aliamanu's Young Voices

First Annual "Na Leo O Na Keiki" Media Festival

2011-05-29T08:56:00.017-10:00

Last Monday, Aliamanu held the First Annual "Na Leo O Na Keiki" Media Festival at the Ong King Art Center. We celebrated a year full of media accomplishments by the members of the Aliamanu Boys & Girls Club. Although the Aliamanu Club is closing, we still called it the first because we hope to continue this tradition for years to come with the Spalding Clubhouse, and hopefully include other clubs as well in the future. We named the festival "Na Leo O Na Keiki," or "The Voices of the Children," because we believe that giving children media skills and tools gives them a voice. We've given them an opportunity to communicate to us who they are as individuals, what is important to them, and how they see the world. The Ong King Art Center provided us with a beautiful venue to exhibit over 100 photographic images and to play the 11 films that the youth created throughout the year.
We had a full house that evening, with LITs and other members greeting guests, providing them with refreshments and freshly popped popcorn, and selling tee shirts and DVDs. Many youth members, both featured artists and their friends, joined us for the celebration with their parents, siblings and other family members. Additionally, board members, community partners and other supporters of the BGCH came to see the exhibit. Everyone had an opportunity to look at all of the photographs displayed, as well as watch the different films that the children created.
As the recognition ceremony began, everyone gathered around to find out who won each of the judged awards, the People's Choice Award, voted on by the crowd, and the Purchase Awards sponsored by BGCH Corporate Board Members Chip Hammond and David Hudson. The staff of Aliamanu were pleased to announce the following winners:

Vision Award
"Mirror of Water" by Shantae Donald

Storytelling Award
"Street Walk" by Huni Pakileata

Camera Obscura Award
"Blueberry Tunnel" by Julia Rodriguez

Spectrum Award
"Through the Blades" by Micah Tofanelli
Technical Award
"Rusty" by Ciyana Davis

Luminosity Award
"Walking on the Moon" by Kevin Cadiente

People's Choice Award
"Impression" by Joshua Tolbe

Bronze Level Purchase Award
"Long Tree" by Brandon Banuelos

Bronze Level Purchase Award
"One & Only Club" by Leslie Ann De Guzman

Silver Level Purchase Award
"White Plains" by Nicolette Huffer

Gold Level Purchase Award
"Spring Time in the Summer" by Brandon Pierson

We also were pleased to award both Gabriella Campos and Kylar Shipley with the Future Filmmaker Awards to recognize their hard work and potential in filmmaking.

After the recognition ceremony, everyone had fun snapping photographs with each other and just enjoying the relaxed atmosphere with the youth. We're so thankful for everyone who contributed to the Media Festival and for everyone who joined us to show their support. It was a fantastic event and we look forward to making it only better in years to come!

To view photos of the event, please visit our Picasa Album. Special thanks to Christina Aiu and Adair Fincher who were our photojournalists for the evening, and also to Gabriella Campos, our youth member who took the "Photo Booth" photos for the night.

10th Annual Ocean Sports & Fitness Day

2011-05-24T16:04:00.008-10:00

This past Saturday all of the clubs joined each other at Kailua Beach Park for the 10th Annual Ocean Sports & Fitness Day. Even though the weather was a bit rainy at times, the kids still had a blast playing together at the beach! Volunteers from Bank of Hawaii, HIC, Aloha Surf Life Saving, and the UH Volleyball team helped the youth learn new skills in three different areas: surfing, boogie boarding & stand-up paddling, volleyball, and paddling & ocean safety. Everyone played really hard and had a good time...it was great seeing children who don't normally "hang out" together at the become new friends and learn together.
Naomi participated in the volleyball clinic and her favorite part was when the kids played against the UH volleyball players, because her team actually did a good job with the bumps and with volleyball the ball over the net. She loved learning how to set backwards too! Matthew J. was having a tough time at first in volleyball, but then Coach Scott gave him some one-on-one lessons to help him out.
Chelsea loved the canoe paddling because it was fun to see everything paddling together as a team to make the boat go. Diano and Brandon loved the jet skis because they liked how fast they got to go and it made the water spray in their face and whipped their hair around.
Gabby loved her first surfing experience because she finally got a chance to learn something she'd been wanted to do for a long time. Raemart and Jonathan loved surfing too, even though it was pretty hard and intense. And Heather and Zack had fun slipping and sliding on the red floating mats that were set up in the middle of the ocean. Jamal had a blast on the boogie board all afternoon long!

To check out all of the photos from our event, visit our Picasa album!

GRLZ 4 Change Reflect on the Year

2011-05-24T06:50:00.007-10:00

For the last GRLZ 4 Change meeting, Miss Dani and Miss Bri asked the girls to reflect on the all of the different programs they did throughout the year. The girls did a great job remembering everything they learned.
"Girls for Change is about influential women. They help people in need and other things, like Coco Ho and Taylor Swift. Influential women are women that inspire other women to do things that they thought they couldn't do like Bethany Hamilton. Her arm got bitten off by a shark, but she kept on trying to surf again. After all her practicing, push-ups, side-ups, and pull-ups, she won fifth place in a surfing competition. Girls for Change helps me realize that I can do what I put my mind to." ~Jasmine A.

"Communication is important because that is how we human beings communicate/talk to each other. When we communicate, we ask questions, sing songs, talk, teach others, and/or answer questions. If we couldn't or didn't have communication, I think this world would be bizarre and out of control. When we played telephone it was important to listen carefully and pass the right information. Spreading rumors is not good. When rumors are passed it causes hate and fights." ~Huni

"Hey, this is Courtney. Today I am talking about what I learned about hygiene. I learned that it's really important. If you don't take care of your body, you could get diseases and it could hurt you. You need to regularly take a shower, was your body, hair and clothes, and have a clean house. If affects your life a lot. We did a hygiene drive around Thanksgiving. I had fun and it helped other people. We got things like toothpaste and toothbrushes and mouthwash. Also shampoo and conditioner. This is only a small bit of what we got. We donated it the "Project Hawaii" program, its for homeless kids. We stood outside of Longs and collected the items. I was surprised at how generous people were. We also got money donations. We raised about $200! I was very happy and I had fun." ~Courtney

"My favorite GRLZ 4 Change activity was the PSAs because I could talk about a topic that has happened personally to my friend. If gave me a chance to think about these girl's lives. It gave me a resource if this ever happens to me. My PSA was on teen pregnancy." ~Heather

"Friendship is a good thing. Friends support you and help you. You always know that your friend is there for you. Friends are important to you because they know you the best." ~Gabby

"Coco Ho is a professional surfer. She came to our Aliamanu club in February for the GRLZ 4 Change program. When she came we took lots of pictures. We also showed her around the club and she signed autographs. What I really liked about her was that she was active, funny and smart. She played basketball, pool, ping pong and a lot of other things with us. I really enjoyed her spending time with us. I hope that she comes back again!" ~ Arii

"When you apply makeup on your face you should first wash your face. When you put on mascara you go bottom to top. Makeup and eyeliner are the two must have makeups--you must have these! Girls for Change helped me to learn the importance of putting on makeup properly." ~Jahcianna

"For April Fool's Day we got the boys with water balloons! All the boys were mad at us when we did it. They had dodgeballs with them so they started to throw balls at us. It was fun!" ~Gabby

"My favorite activity is the make-up thingy. That was my favorite activity because we go to win makeup by answering questions about makeup and hygiene. And we also got to take it home! It was really fun!" ~Arii

"Relationships never last forever and unfortunately some relationships can be abusive. To have a healthy relationship you must try to avoid fighting with your partner. Girls for Change taught me that some friendships don't last, but others will last your whole life." ~Jahcianna

No-Bake Cooking Teaches Healthy Kitchen Habits

2011-05-22T11:16:00.007-10:00

This month for No-Bake Cooking, the youth have been learning more advanced cooking skills and proper cooking habits to prevent cross-contamination. Check out what they've got to say about this delicious program!

"I learned that it's better to clean a pan before cooking something different. Also, I learned how to cook Portuguese sausage." ~Shantae
"I learned how to break an egg and how to whisk it." ~Aiyaisha
"I learned that SPAM gets flavor from the Portuguese sausage juice. I learned that eggs taste better with flavor added!" ~Raphael
"I learned that you have to be clean cooking things. You also have to make sure the food is cooked enough too. Also, you have to be careful when working with heat." ~Zeren

"I found out that you should always wash your hands to avoid cross contamination." ~Courtney
"When you cook hot dogs you must wash your hands before you start. Then you place the hot dogs in the pan. After you touch the hot dogs you must wash your hands again. Then you heat the hot dogs until they're browner than before." ~Jahcianna

"Today I learned that it is important to wash your hands, and you should wash your hands when touching/using different products. When a hot dog is cooked, it is browner than it was before. And Miss Dani loves pie." ~Huni

LUV2Run Finishes Strong at the Jamba 5K

2011-05-09T15:16:00.005-10:00

The LUV2Run program finished this past weekend with its third and final 5K race, the Jamba Juice Banana Man Chase. Miss Natalie, Courtney and Heather were up bright and early to join the large crowd of kids and adults at Ala Moana Beach Park and run their hearts out. The girls did great, but I'll let them tell you all about it...

Lacing up and getting ready to run at the last minute!

One of the man "Banana Man" runners that we chased throughout the race!

"This past Saturday I did the Banana Man Race!! It was so much fun! First, we got there...haha. Then we got ready. After that, we ran! When we started there were people dressed up as bananas. Then we saw one guy...he was dressed up as a gorilla! I didn't stop running until a mile and a half. I was proud of myself...my time was 34 minutes. After it was over we got our face painted. I got flowers and a banana, even though the painter said she wasn't supposed to paint anything but the designs they had set out. Then we got balloon animals--I got a bear on a heart. Then I went home and slept all day. I hope I can do that race again next year!" ~Courtney

BGCH LUV2Run Logos on our tee shirts!

"The race was very fun! I saw my music teacher and my school's computer technician. I ran the race in 42 minutes (my goal was 50!). I got my face painted and I got a balloon monkey. And one more thing...I love Jamba Juice!" ~Heather

All of the activities afterward were a great way to celebrate our accomplishments!

Mad Science Returns with Elephant Toothpaste!

2011-05-09T12:22:00.002-10:00

Today we made Elephant Toothpaste for Mad Science. By combining hydrogen peroxide, yeast and soap we created foam that shot up the bottle and over-flowed. The yeast was the catalyst and the soap made it bubbly, and the peroxide helped the oxygen atoms release faster! Best. Science. Experiment. Ever. ~Miss Dani

"We made this project called Elephant Toothpaste. We had a bottle, food coloring, funnel, yeast, soap, cup and hot water. We added the hydrogen peroxide in the cup and added the food coloring. We put it in the bottle by using the funnel. Then we put the yeast in the cup and added hot water, then mixed it all up and we put it in the bottle by using the funnel and then it blew up! Bubbles came out of the bottle...it was so cool!" ~Justice
"We made Elephant Toothpaste. We used water, yeast, a bottle, and more. We mixed the things together and it made foam. The peroxide molecules release the oxygen atoms faster. It was fun." ~Gabby

"During this experiment we mixed soap, yeast and hydrogen peroxide. By mixing them the yeast made the peroxide molecules release oxygen into the air quicker. Which means bubbles came shooting out!" ~Shantae

"Today we made Elephant Toothpaste. We threw it at each other! I liked the experiment because it was fun to make and play with. It shoots up from the bottle. The yeast is the catalyst." ~Rachel

LITs Explore the Masks they Wear

2011-05-09T11:58:00.004-10:00

The LITs have been participating in a multi-session project that is part of the Journey program to facilitate self-discovery and growth. Using casting strips, they created actual masks on their faces that accurately reflected the size and shape of their facial features. The next step will be to decorate the masks with paint to further illustrate what their masks reveal and hide about their personalities. A few of the LITs had some interesting reflections on the activity...

"I feel that this project was the hardest project because I had to stay still. I also felt silly with a head band on and it was pulling my skin which made me feel uncomfortable. My mask revealed that I was moving too much because it was a little crooked. Something my mask hides is my angry personality. I have to put this mask on during baseball games because when I strike out I can't throw the bat on the ground. The most difficult part about this activity was staying still because I don't like to stay still. I made myself stay still by telling myself to 'shh.' One positive aspect of this activity is I liked to put the Vaseline on because it felt cold. Another positive thing in this activity is it tested my endurance by showing me how long I could sit still." ~Bradley
"It felt kind of cool because my face was being covered and I looked like the Jabberwockies because it was white. It reveals that I have a big nose and eyes which is real weird to see like that. It hides my eyebrows and my 'girlstache!' It was hard to avoid smiling and laughing because Justice kept trying to make me laugh. I liked that we put the Vaseline on my face because it felt soft and it protected my face from getting hurt when we took the mask off. But it was greasy and smelled weird!" ~Arii

"I felt that this project was weird because after Gabby put the first strip on my nose, my nose because itchy. My mask hides all my facial expressions that I show. My face reveals all my true feelings about others. Because I could easily just tell someone that I like them, but my facial expression shows how I really feel if I don't like them. The most difficult part about this project was to not laugh or smile. What I mostly liked about it was trying to wiggle my way out of my mask. I also liked how it shows every detail on my face." ~Shantae

"This project was fun. It was fun to put casting strips on our faces. The mask reveals what you look like. It hides your personality because behind it, people don't know what you're really like. The most difficult part about this project was staying still. What I liked the most was trusting the person with putting casting strips on my face. I like how my mask looks like me too. But putting Vaseline on your face was not the best because it smells! The part of my personality that my mask hides is that I like to try new things." ~Gabby

"This project felt very weird and strange because of what I had to put on my face like the Vaseline and the casting strips. This mask reveals me because I was like someone else, like it was somebody in me. It hides my true identity. The most difficult part was putting the casting strips on my face. It was very cold and wet. I liked this activity because once you get the hang of it, it gets really easy. The thing I like the most about my mask is that it's really cool, even though once you take it off you're a little sore." ~Justice

Co-Pilots

2011-05-09T11:53:00.003-10:00

GRLZ 4 Change is spending the month of May focusing on transitions. The transitions that many youth at our club will experience as the club closes, as 8th graders move on to high school, and as military youth prepare to move with their parents' careers.

Miss Dani led an open discussion about this transition surrounding the topic of "co-pilots." Co-pilots are people that you depend on throughout your life. They can come in and out of your life, and be positive or negative or even both depending on the situation. Everyone has a core group of co-pilots, such as their family and close friends, that will always be there for them. As individuals go through different life transitions, sometimes new people will become co-pilots. Each girl in the program listed who their co-pilots were, and then shared with the group. Read on to see what they thought of the program and of their own "co-pilots."

"Co-pilots change because things change. For example, moving, fights, sicknesses or death can change your co-pilots. The best and most important friends stay in your life forever. So make good friends and find out over time who is the most important." ~Maria
"My co-pilot changed my life by helping me. They are there for me when I'm totally out of it. And they listen to my boy drama!" ~Heather

"Co-pilots change for a lot of reasons, one is because they might change. Then you might not like them as much. Also you might not be able to keep in contact, for example if they move to another country and you don't have a facebook and don't want to pay more. They make us feel special." ~Courtney
"Co-pilots can change. You might get in a fight and not be friends. They come and go. Having a co-pilot can change who you are." ~Gabby

"In your life you might meet certain people that will change your life. That's why they're called best friends forever (BFF), like if you think you're invisible they might be the only person that can see you, but that might change when that person leaves, but you have to remember that you will be that same girl that your best friend saw." ~Jasmine
"Friends change because they move and meet new people (especially if you're military). But there are a million other people in the world so there are many people to meet. People change for many reasons." ~Jahcianna

"To me friendship is important because they're always there for you, and plus they're almost like family to me. Even though they go to other people they will always be my friend because they're my friends. If I needed help they'd be there to help me. Elementary friends remain as my friends because we had memories together, always laughing and having fun. That's why my friends are important to me!" ~Jaimie
"Friendship is important to me because they're like family. They might come and go but they would make me laugh on my sad days. So that's why friendship is important to me." ~Caitlin

"Co-pilots are important if you did not have them you would have to think and do everything on your own. My co-pilot's name was Logan. She shared a brain with me, but I had to move. But I still know she is my co-pilot." ~Keonna
"Co-pilots are important to me because they have been by my side every time. When my friends move away, we would still be best friends. When some of my friends move, it affects my life because they are not coming back to visit and it means that they're in another new place." ~Amber

Glee Fans Gain Life Lessons

2011-05-09T11:40:00.003-10:00

If you've ever been at the club on Wednesday afternoons, you'll likely find a group of youth crowded around the TV, with some even singing and dancing along to the Glee episodes. This program started back in March for anti-bullying month and by popular demand, we've continued it through April and May. Check out what some of the kids are learning from their favorite TV show:

"The episode we watched was about Rachel. She is getting her nose replaced and Curt comes back to his school. The Glee Club wore shirts with words on them that represented something they can't do or something they don't like about them self. Mr. Shue taught us to be proud of who you are. I learned to be happy about my self." ~Zachary P.

"In this episode Curt came back because the bully is now nice. The Glee Club had shirts that had something that they don't like about themselves. The show taught us to be yourself and be the way you are." ~Zepha

"This episode was about singing and accepting your flaws. It showed that everybody is special in their own way and I should be proud of who I am." ~Zeren

Makeup: To Wear or Not to Wear?

2011-05-03T08:47:00.003-10:00

Last week the GRLZ 4 Change program learned a little bit more about makeup. The goal was to get the girls thinking critically about their own feelings about make-up, to explore appropriate makeup application for their age and to understand that there's a time and place for makeup. Program Assistants Bri and Dani made games for the girls and fun prizes included lip gloss and eyelash curlers! Read on to see their thoughts on makeup:

"What we learned today in GRLZ 4 Change was about makeup and our faces. My favorite makeup is mascara because it will make my eyelashes look longer, but I don't wear makeup. :) My motto: Keeping it simple will make you look pretty!" ~Caitlin

"Today in GRLZ 4 Change we got makeup and nail things as well and I had fun. I don't like makeup because it makes me look like a clown!" ~Jasmine
"I learned when to use makeup and how to apply it on my face. My favorite type of makeup is MAC. I like makeup because it makes me feel pretty! It's okay for girls our age to wear makeup because we are becoming young adults and we need to know information about makeup." ~Jahcianna
"I learned that there is a lot to makeup. I don't like to wear makeup though. People my age should not wear makeup because I think it doesn't look good. I had fun today anyways!" ~Gabby

"I learned that mascara and eye liner are the most important makeup! I feel that its good to wear makeup only to special events so that you look pretty." ~Arii

Soul Surfing GRLZ

2011-04-29T15:26:00.003-10:00

Last Friday the GRLZ 4 Change program headed to Pearl Ridge to watch the new movie "Soul Surfer" featuring the story of heroine Bethany Hamilton. Check out what the girls had to say about the movie:

"Soul Surfer was about a girl who followed her dream of being a professional surfer and she didn't let anything get in her way, not even without an arm. I learned from the movie that Bethany Hamilton is a person who tries and tries to to do the best at anything she wants to do. She is very inspirational because when she went to Thailand she taught the kids to surf and everyone just got their boards and went in to the water right after the disaster. My favorite part of the movie was when the girl who won first place said that she wants to share first place with Bethany." ~Jasmine

"Soul Surfer was about learning how to recover from an accident and following your dream. I learned that Bethany is a great role model and she tries her best to follow her dreams. My favorite part of the movie was when she went night surfing and the fireworks came out at midnight. Bethany is inspirational because she still surfs even after her accident." ~Jahcianna

"Soul Surfer was about a girl who got back on her board even after the shark bit off her arm. I learned that you can accomplish anything when you try hard. My favorite part of the movie was when she almost won because she caught a wave that no one else did. Bethany inspires me because she showed me that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I know that if I put my mind to it I can become a writer, which is something I really want to do." ~Gabby

"Soul Surfer was about a girl who lost her arm but still wants to follow her heart and surf. I learned from the movie that Bethany Hamilton is a strong girl who pushes through things no matter how hard they are. My favorite part of the movie was (this may sound mean) when the shark took her arm because that was when the whole movie became interesting. She's inspirational because she helped people. Also because she kept on going after the shark bit her and she still went back in the water." ~Courtney

The Golden Egg...

2011-04-20T18:00:00.002-10:00

Today we did an Easter egg hunt since Sunday is Easter. There were eggs with candy, eggs with club bucks and special prizes. Also there was one egg with 25 cents in pennies in it...Huni found that one! :) I was searching and searching and couldn't find any eggs. The out of the corner of my eye, I saw one! (Hah...dramatic!) Well after I found that I saw a bunch, I saw one by the sidewalk, then there was three more across it. Then I started to look in less obvious places...I looked by the bushes, the trees and in long grass. Finally, I looked under a stone bench and there was a shiny one. I thought nothing was in it. I kept looking. Then when everybody found them all, I opened mine. In the shiny one there was a club buck!! I was happy! Then I bought Life Savers. I had a lot of fun!

~Courtney N.

Hygiene Awareness at GRLZ 4 Change!

2011-04-19T16:39:00.005-10:00

The GRLZ 4 Change program is helping girls by giving them clear information about personal hygiene. On Monday they played a trivia game, answering all sorts of questions relating to personal care such as how often to go to the dentist, how to take care of your skin and treating acne, guidelines for using sanitary napkins and tampons, and preventing body odor. The girls received sample sizes of soaps, deodorants, and more as prizes! Activities like this help build confidence in girls in a safe environment where they can openly ask questions and learn about their changing bodies.

Run Like a Diva! Nike Girls' 5K

2011-04-19T16:34:00.006-10:00

Sunday morning, Maria and Miss Natalie were up at the crack of dawn to join hundreds of other women in the Nike Girls 5K. The course was set up through Ala Moana Beach Park and without a cloud in the sky, we took off running in a sea of pink!
Maria's favorite part was everything they handed out. Midway through the run, she got a tiara and a pink feather boa! And at the end of the run, we were given a medal with a pink ribbon around our necks.
The positive energy at the 5K helped reinforce why we love to run - because it's good exercise and it's FUN! Our goal was to complete the run in less than 40 minutes, and Maria shared that the hardest part was really pushing herself to keep running. We almost hit our goal with a finish time of 41:59! With our third and final 5K just weeks away, we still have time to keep training and improve our running time!

...First and Last... Aliamanu Represents at the Biddy Basketball Tournament!

2011-04-19T08:24:00.004-10:00

From left: Carlton, Dane, Brandon, JP, Reyez, Nel Jay, Rex, Arnold, Jimmy & Diano!

On Saturday 10 members from Aliamanu participated in the 33rd Annual Biddy Baller Easter Classic at the Spalding Clubhouse. The boys practiced hard two times a week for a month and a half to prepare for the tournament, and they showed up ready to play! Using all the knowledge they gained from practices, the boys played four games, winning 2 and losing 2.
When the team wasn't playing a game, they were given special access into the game room where they played pool, foosball, air hockey and xbox. In the game room, members from all of the teams were able to interact with each other and Diano shared that he was able to meet new friends and Arnold said that "the game room was really fun." The boys gathered at the end of the day to watch the championship game between Santa Monica and Spalding. The boys cheered for the Spalding team and Brandon's favorite part of the day was when Cameron from the Spalding team made a last second shot from the half court to win the game.
Aliamanu finished the tournament in 4th place. All the players really enjoyed playing basketball with their friends. Rex enjoyed "breaking some ankles" while JP loved challenging the other teams and they all enjoyed winning! Diano's favorite part was when he "made some awesome shots like the 3 pointer swish" and when he "drove in for 2 points."
The boys learned many things throughout this experience. Reyez learned to play fair and "pump fake" so he won't get capped. Brandon learned to play good defense by putting your hands up. JP learned that rebounding is really important. Rex learned that he can't get mad while playing sports and Dane learned not to be a sore loser.
The boys were provided a delicious dinner at the end of the day for all of their hard work. Congratulations to the Aliamanu Basketball Team for doing an awesome job! To see more photos from the game, click here!

~Coach Bri

Youth of the Year Film Debut!

2011-04-19T07:59:00.005-10:00

BGCH Youth of the Year 2011 from Franz Schmutzer on Vimeo.

Franz, Natalie and Rob at the YOY Premier Brunch!
Franz and Rob created the initial vision of the project!

This past Saturday, the Youth of the Year film was premiered at the Annual Brunch at the Hawaii Prince Hotel to over 350 guests there to support the 10 youth candidates that participated in the competition this year. The project was filmed by a media crew composed of Aliamanu LITs that traveled to each of the clubs around Oahu to meet the candidates and staff, explore each clubhouse and gather footage for the film. The LITs worked hard to capture interesting shots and find ways to really convey the unique personalities of each participant. Everyone who viewed the film loved it and we're already getting requests for it to become an annual tradition for the YOY journey! Great job to the Aliamanu LITs for such an awesome accomplishment: Gabby, Kawehionalani, Justice, Shantae, Alvin, Bradley, Kevin, Carla, and Huni!

Behind the scenes at Spalding...

Kailua...

and Waianae!

Another ReaDch Celebration!

2011-04-19T07:47:00.004-10:00

As a reward for completing the second book in our ReaDch series "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story," the youth from Aliamanu celebrated with a pizza & ice cream party and a movie night at the Spalding BGCH. The youth were excited to have the privilege to party in the Laker's Reading Room, an appropriate site for the theme of the night! They watched the movie version of the book they had just finished earlier in the week. Arii shared: "I really loved the book and the movie we watched because it talks about a boy who grows up to be a neurosurgeon (a doctor who does surgery on the brain) and he saves a lot of people's lives." Maria thought it was "super fun and the movie was really good!" And Gabby enjoyed the opportunity to spend quality time with her friends. All in all, the book and the celebration taught the youth that reading pays off!

GRLZ 4 Change are Inspired!

2011-04-13T11:25:00.003-10:00

Last week’s GRLZ 4 Change session encouraged the girls to use the computers to research a variety of inspirational women. Each member chose a girl or woman that they wanted to learn more about, found out how they have made a positive change in their worlds, and then shared the information with the rest of the group. Here’s who inspires the girls at Aliamanu BGCH:

“Brenda Song is influential because she participates in Friends for Change and Pass the Plate. She is smart because she graduated high school when she was 16. She participated in the 13^th Annual Race to Erase MS Charity. She saved her brother from drowning. Finally, she is involved in the Make a Wish Foundation.” ~Courtney

“Dawn O’Brien is a motivational Christian speaker. She speaks on 95.5 and she spoke at the 2011 Him Conference. She inspires many others to be positive.” ~Heather

“Selena Gomez is a young American singer and actress. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and an Emmy-Award winning actress on the Disney Channel.” ~Arii

“Coco Ho is inspirational because she reaches her goals and she participates in a variety of charity events.” ~Gabby

“Bethany Hamilton is influential because after a shark attack she still never gave up on her dream. Four months after her shark attack she placed fifth at the National Surfing Championships. Bethany also helps charitable causes. She went to Thailand to help children who were hurt by the 2004 tsunami disaster and helps anti-drug programs for the State of Hawaii.” ~Jasmine

“Kelly Clarkson won the first American Idol contest. She supports 10 different charities and causes. She always works for her best.” ~Jahcianna

“Carrie Underwood is an active member of the Humane Society of the United States. She is an animal lover. She advocates for the Protect Your Pet program. She does a lot of public service announcements. She used her singing skills to benefit cancer research.” ~Makeala & Keonna

“Taylor Swift cares about other people and not just herself. She is not promiscuous. She works with different charities. Her songs are appropriate for young girls. She is sweet.” ~Maria & Arianna

Volcom Video featuring Aliamanu BGCH & Coco Ho!

2011-04-04T13:08:00.004-10:00

Volcom created a video featuring the Aliamanu BGCH during Coco's second visit to our club and her participation in the GRLZ 4 Change program! Check it out! And read below to see the article about her project with us.

Coco Ho, the heiress to a surfing legacy, is among the new generation of young surfers taking the women's professional surfing circuit by storm. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and based on the world famous North Shore, Coco is the youngest in a family of surfing royalty. to say she was destined to surfing greatness is an understatement, and she is well on her way. For Spring and Summer 2011, Volcom teamed with Coco to create the Coco Ho signature Boardshort. This boardshort is also a part of the Give Back Series where Coco chose to give back her time to the charity of her choice: The Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii.

"I feel so fortunate to be where I am in life, to live the life I do and see the amazing places I get to see. I want to give back to help give young girls a chance to live their dreams, just like I do mine."

Check out Coco enjoying some good times and laughs with the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii.

For more info, visit Coco's website: http://cocoho.volcom.com/

LUV2Run Loves to Swing too!

2011-03-30T17:43:00.004-10:00

During our most recent session for LUV2Run, Chynna led the group on a new path through the nearby neighborhood. We ended up passing by a park with swings, and I learned that all of the girls in the group (most of our running boys were participating in Dudes 4 Awesome that day) loved to swing just as much as I did. We took a short break to play on the swings and climb on the monkey bars before continuing our run. Days like that remind me that being open to spontaneity creates opportunities for lasting memories!

"Surfing Is..." Media Project w Coco Ho!

2011-03-28T16:07:00.007-10:00

This past Friday, several lucky members of the BGCH spent Prince Kuhio Day surfing with Coco Ho! Zack & Nicolette from Aliamanu, Dayane from Spalding, and Tyler and Sean from the Windward Clubhouse, along with staff from all three clubs met up with Coco and her cousin Makoa to make a film about why they love to surf. It was pretty windy at Kalamas and the surf was a bit tough, but with the help of Joey from Windward, all of the kids were able to catch a few waves and get footage of them surfing with the Go Pro mounted to their board. When they weren't in the water, they were warming up on the beach! Coco interviewed all of the youth to find out exactly what it is about surfing that is just so special to them.

Here's what Dayane had to say about hanging out with Coco all day: "My favorite part with Coco Ho was when I was doing the interview with her, and I got to know a little bit about her life and what is surfing to her...I loved it! She is great! (; "

To get an idea of what some of the youth shared on camera, check out some of their responses to a questionnaire they filled out before they participated:

"Surfing is fun...it's something that you have to work for, it's not something that you're given. It's a great feeling when you get up on the board and catch the wave." ~Zack
"Surfing for me feels like I am all alone on my own, only concentrated on surfing and nothing else. I just wanna get there, do my thing and forget about everything else." ~Dayane

"My first wave... I was at Kailua beach, a short walk from my best friend's house and my little brother was showing off his "skills." I started making fun of him and he challenged me to do it myself since I had never tried before. I grabbed the board and ran right into the water and it took a few tries but eventually I caught a wave and actually stood up on it... it was the best feeling ever and at that moment I decided I was going to get my own board and start surfing on a regular basis. .... Surfing is like... well you really can't compare surfing to anything. It just gives you a rush, like a natural high. Sitting out there waiting for a perfect wave, watching the sets and memorizing their pattern, and then getting right on the crest of the wave, pulling yourself up and dropping in. It's pretty amazing (:" ~Nikki

"The first wave I caught? I was surfing a 9'0" at Castle, it was a nice day to surf. It was 1-2 feet and tons of people were out. My brother turned me around and said 'Paddle!' So I started to paddle then my brother helped push me on the wave and I stood up and surfed it all the way to shore... When I'm surfing I feel like I'm a whole new person." ~Tyler

Thanks Coco and Makoa for all of your help and for a great day!

To check out all the photos from our surf event and other events we've done with Coco, check out our Picasa album!

We Like to Go Out with a Splash!

2011-03-23T19:33:00.005-10:00

What a great looking group of kids we got to spend time with this week!

At Aliamanu BGCH, we like to finish things on a high note, so that means that we had to end the spring break program with Wet'n'Wild. Although it was the only day that rained in the morning during the whole break, by the time we arrived in Kapolei there were blue, sunny skies. Although there were some difficulties because the Spring Break Party was also happening later during the day, we still had plenty of fun. We learned this time to go on the Raging River first so that we didn't have to wait in line for over an hour. And the kids had tons of fun with their squirt tubes, surprising their friends with a shot of cool water! Miss Dani and Miss Bri spent time in Hurricane Harbor while the youth swam and jumped through the wave pool (by now our kids were expert swimmers). And while Franz braved the Shaka with a few of the boys, Miss Natalie got tons of water dumped on her in the kiddie pool and even had fun playing on the lily pads with the kids and the little ones played Sea Monster tag with Miss Hali. All in all, it was quite an adventurous day. To check out the complete photo album, click here!

I think the kids loved that I actually asked them to squirt me for this pic!

Maria and Zack kept each other company throughout the break program.

Rachel, Franz and Shantae hanging out in the pool!

I'm 99% sure this is Joshua!

Although we were all pretty exhausted at the end of the week, it was so worth it. New friends were made, many children became more courageous through activities like laser tag and swimming in the ocean, and everyone had a chance to be artistic with photography. Its always great to spend extra time with the members that we see on an every day basis, and its even better to meet new youth who join our program for the break. Thank you to everyone who participated! We hope you had even more fun than the staff did!

Skating the Day Away at the Ice Palace

2011-03-23T18:44:00.008-10:00

An intersession program wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Ice Palace! The chilly arena was a nice follow-up after the sunny beach excursion the day before. Staff members helped the youth tie their laces super tight so their ankles wouldn't wobble too much, and sent them out on the ice. Some more experienced skaters like Jewel helped the younger ones along and helped them get the hang of it before they tried skating on their own. For the first time, Franz and Natalie played Four Corners on the ice--unfortunately, Franz was out on the first round and Natalie was out on the second! A bunch of the kids played limbo too and Staysia and Amber were 2 of the last 3 skaters left on the ice! During breaks to resurface the ice and when the children wanted to rest a bit, they enjoyed hot cocoa and saimin together, played video games and won prizes. Kameron even won an mp4 player! It always amazes me how even after 5 full hours at the rink, the kids still dread getting off the ice at the end of the day. To check out the complete photo album, click here!

"W" is for Winners! Final 3 for the Limbo!

Caden and Miss Bri had a great time skating together...he did so well on the ice!

Vincent had a great time even though he took a few spills!

Alvin, Victoria and Kameron!

Micah, Jeremy and Kyler warming up with some video games!

Kameron and Zachary...this might have been right before Kameron won the mp4 player!

Adrian and Brandon S. hanging out on the ice.

Girls Pic! So cute with Naomi, Zeren, Jewel, Chelsea and Leslie Ann!

Honolulu Zoo & Waikiki Beach!

2011-03-23T18:01:00.007-10:00

Gabby, Corina, Jamal and Tyler get friendly with the giraffe!

Staysia, Amber, Victoria and Miss Bri pose for a picture before they begin to explore the zoo.

On Wednesday we headed into town to explore the Honolulu Zoo with a photography scavenger hunt. The members took turns with digital cameras, taking photos of their friends, the animals and also other interesting parts of the zoo that few people see. For example, we encouraged youth to take photos of textures, sources of water, their favorite color, and more abstract unique items. The photos will be used at our end of the year media festival.

Ashley concentrates hard to compose her photograph.

Arnold, Jewel, Zeren and Ashley take a break for some refreshing shave ice!

Of course, the youth also had fun exploring the entire zoo. Some of the kids got a great show with the tigers, watching the young tigers play with a hanging ball and jumping all through their cage. The younger groups had a chance to go to the petting zoo. A greedy goat ate Jeremy's scavenger hunt list! And the kids had a great time petting the rooster and learning that when it fluffs its feathers up, it's getting angry. They also got to walk through an aquarium tank and climb through a tunnel in the center of it with huge fish swimming all around them!

After the zoo, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the lawn outside the zoo before we crossed Kalakaua Avenue to cool off at Waikiki Beach. At the beach, the children took turns with underwater cameras and a fish eye camera. Check out this shot of the kids playing in the sand!

It was really great for everyone to just relax together and play around in the gentler waters (compared to Monday). By mid-week, lots of new friendships were being forged and it was great to see youth of all ages playing games together and having fun. To check out the complete photo album, click here!

Inter-Club Fun at Rascals

2011-03-23T10:36:00.014-10:00

On Tuesday we took a break from the sun and met up with the Spalding and Windward Clubs at Rascal's Family Fun Center. Each group rotated through four stations: laser tag, mini golf, mini bowling and a bounce house. Hands down, everyone's favorite was the laser tag! Even though it was a bit scary at first for the little ones in the dark, they all thought it was awesome and had a blast. Everyone had fun seeing which team won, who hit the most targets and basically just running around in the dark. In Bri's group, first the boys won with Brandon P. leading the team in points, but then the girls came back with a win the second time around.

Ciyana, Logan and Brandon S. had a blast together at Rascals!

While people weren't playing laser tag, their favorite place to hang out was the bounce house! It was great to see even the older kids breaking down and just having fun jumping away! It got a bit rambunctious at times and everyone had fun taking jumping pictures. My favorite were Caitlin and Julia, and Jeremy and Zachary. They're so hilarious!
In the black light mini-golf, the youth had fun with all of the pirate-themed decorations. Everyone's favorite was the shark, and Heather's "attack" was the best executed! They took turns with the mini-putt and playing mini bowling too, where the youth cheered each other on for spares and strikes.
We ate lunch in our small groups at the Dole Cannery and then headed to Regal Cinemas to check out Rango. Thanks to the manager Reed, we had a whole reserved section in the theater just for us so we could all stick together as a group! The youth pooled their money to share drinks, popcorn and other snacks. The movie was a hilarious western with some really interesting characters. It was a nice way to relax after a pretty high-energy morning. To check out the complete photo album, click here!

Skyler & AJ are friends from our last break program and had a great time hanging out again!

Hooray for Spring Break!

2011-03-23T09:55:00.010-10:00

Amber, Staysia, Matthew and Joshua became friends right away!

Spring Break for the Aliamanu BGCH meant tons of field trips all over the island for five days straight!! Our meeting place was at the Salt Lake District Park this time around, which was great because there was plenty of space for the kids to play and have fun before we left for each adventure.

As children arrived at Salt Lake District Park, they were introduced to their group leaders and played name games and ice breakers to get to know each other and feel more comfortable. Miss Hali, with the youngest group, created a game where each child was given a name of a Disney character. A few of the names stuck, and Miss Hali was called "Miss Rajah," Taylor was called "Tink," and Ciyanna was called "Mushu" pretty much all week!

Brandon S. and Gordon (above) and Skyler and Ocean (below) showed me their tickets with the stencils that they found from each station.

Our first day of break was our furthest adventure, and we traveled up to Wahiawa and Haleiwa for the day. The youth were eager to explore the Dole Plantation. Their navigational skills were tested in the World's Largest Garden Maze. Children were given tickets with 8 different spots where they would stencil a design found at 8 hidden stations throughout the maze. Some children raced through the maze to find the stations, while others seemed to enjoy exploring and surprising their friends around each corner. As I walked around taking photos, at one point I got lost! I walked in circles for a few minutes before I thought to myself "I could swear I've seen this bush before!" Gabby and Shantae came to my rescue and helped me find the central part of the maze.Corina and Leslie Ann made their way through the maze, and Kyler, Brandon P., Taylor and Caden stuck together to find each of the stations!

Then I went to wait at the exit of the maze to see who would complete it first. Brandon B. and Arnold were the winners! As kids waited for the rest of the group to finish, they explored the gift shop and the pineapple garden. After all of the kids finished the maze, we boarded the bus to head to the beach. Everyone was really excited because it was so hot out, they all couldn't wait to cool off!

Our winners, Arnold and Brandon B!

The original plan was to swim at Waimea Bay, but with surf forecasts predicting 10 foot shorebreak, we changed plans and headed to Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park instead. The waves were still pretty strong there, but they were much smaller. Everyone, staff included, had a great time jumping and diving through the waves. The older kids helped keep an eye on the little ones, who were quite fearless as they swam in the waves. Others constructed walls and towers on the beach and buried each other in the sand. Everyone had a chance to play with the waterproof cameras and snapped photographs and video recorded all of the action in the water. The time flew by and soon enough we were boarding the bus again to head back to Salt Lake. What an exciting way to kick start the program! To check out the complete photo album, click here!

Bradley and Jonathan hanging out at Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park!

Zeren kept a close eye on Taylor (or "Tink") while playing in the water!

Jamal and Brandon P. had fun burying themselves in the sand!

LUV2 Run at the Gecko Gallop 5K!

2011-03-12T12:28:00.004-10:00

The LUV2Run program completed its first 5K race this Saturday at the 2011 Gecko Gallop. Starting at Freedom Tower at 7:00am, Bradley, Courtney, Heather, Huni, Maria, Miss Bri and Miss Natalie took off running through the scenic Hickam Air Force Base. The weather was great--sunny but cool in the morning light. For many of the youth, this was their first 5K race they ever participated in. Great job to all the youth who participated to represent Aliamanu! Here's everyone unofficial finish times (they didn't have timing chips)...see if you can beat them at the next 5K!
Bradley and Courtney: 40:55
Huni and Natalie: 41:15
Maria, Heather and Bri: 58:40

Celebrating ReaDch Readers!

2011-03-11T20:13:00.006-10:00

Hatchet - ReaDch Program from Franz Schmutzer on Vimeo.

At Aliamanu, we began a new program called ReaDch. ReaDch is a read-aloud, read-along program that creates a pressure-free environment for youth to read books for enjoyment. Our first book that we read together as a group was Hatchet. In the beginning, Miss Dani read most of the book aloud during each ReaDch session, and the youth quietly followed along. By listening to someone read aloud, it helps the youth improve their reading because someone else is helping them decode the words. By the end of the program, many youth were eagerly raising their hands to take turns reading aloud with Miss Dani.
As a reward for the youth who participated in at least 80% of the sessions, readers were taken on a zipline adventure at Bay View Mini Putt in Kaneohe. The adventure was chosen because it matched the "adventure" theme of the book; however, as we got to the zipline course, it became clear that it also matched the theme of the program in general. Youth were hesitant and nervous at first to try the zipline, similarly to how they felt toward reading aloud at first. But through encouragement and a pressure-free environment, everyone ended up having a great time reading the book and zipping through the air!

Check out what some of our youth had to say about the program and the field trip!

"The ReaDch program was really interesting because at first it was pretty scary and then it got fun! The book was very cool! After we finished the book we got to go to Bay View Zipline! I love this program and I hope we get to do something like this again!" ~Arii
"I had fun doing this program. I liked how I didn't have to read in front of everyone if I didn't want to. And I really liked the book. But my favorite part was the ziplining!" ~Gabby
"I think the ReaDch program helps people to get better at reading. We read the book Hatchet. Most of the time the students read aloud. What I enjoyed about the book Hatchet was that it was interesting. I like how it is mostly about a boy surviving in the woods, trying to build a fire and find food. The zipline was a great and fun experience. I was nervous at first. My heart beat was fast. But once I tried it, it was super awesome. I liked laying back, looking around, and letting my hands go. It was amazing. I enjoyed looking up at the beautiful blue sky. Hope to come back!" ~Huni
"The ReaDch program is about learning from a book as you read it. Hatchet was really mysterious. Then, we went to zipline. Once we put on our gear, we went on the zipline ride. So first I was very scared because I was scared of heights. But when we reached the end, I wasn't scared anymore. So the second time I went, I had overcome my fear and just had fun. I had so much fun today!" ~Justice

Thanks Grant & Evan for such an awesome time today at Bay View!

Aliamanu BGCH Aligns with White House on Anti-Bullying Issue

2011-03-11T11:20:00.003-10:00

The Aliamanu BGCH is happy to know that the White House is prioritizing anti-bullying efforts across the nation. It's inspiring for our youth to know that the President and First Lady are supporting us!

If you'd like to show your support against bullying, please sign our petition that the GRLZ 4 Change Program created earlier this week. Click on the image below to be directed to the petition website. Signing only takes a moment and has a lasting effect.

Anti-Bullying Month!

2011-03-02T14:44:00.002-10:00

March has been designated anti-bullying month at the Aliamanu Boys & Girls Club. We started the month with an arts and crafts project to create a poster for the club. The members worked hard to paint it with bright colors and positive words to proudly display in the club. The upcoming weeks will feature other arts and crafts activities, an anti-bullying PSA media project with Franz's new group "Dudes for Awesome," the LITs will be creating an online survey to learn about attitudes towards bullying at Aliamanu and at other clubs, and the GRLZ 4 Change program will be creating an internet petition against bullying for youth to sign and show their support online. The main goal is to help youth better understand the effects of bullying and better responses with their peers instead of bullying each other.

Zippy's Drug-Free Drawing Contest!

2011-02-28T20:40:00.003-10:00

During the month of February youth were encouraged to enter the Zippy's Drug-Free Drawing Contest to try to win the grand prize to Disney Land. Also, prizes like PSPs and gift certificates to Toys R Us are awarded for each grade level. Great job to Keonna M, Ariana M, Brian A, Delysa M, Courtney N, Maria M and Tomoko K for participating. At Aliamanu, an independent judge (not a staff member) chose the best drawing to win an extra prize--3 ClubBucks to be used at the club snack bar!! Congratulations to Brian for his awesome drawing showing us how to make positive choices when we approach difficult crossroads in life. Brian's drawing will be posted at the club for all to see during the month of March.

Exploring Density in Mad Science

2011-02-28T20:26:00.004-10:00

"Today we did an experiment called Layered Density. First you have liquids (I can't remember what kind) and then you put in the thickest to the thinnest substance. In between all of those I put dish soap. The liquid separates from thickest to thinnest. The last two mix. I think this is because they have the same density. I also put a bottle cap in it and it floated. I think this is because it also has the same density. I hope we do something like that again...it was cool!" ~Courtney N.
"Today in Mad Science we layered density. First I poured in syrup, color green. Then I put in alcohol, color orange. Next I poured in soap, color yellow. The soap went under the alcohol. So now the colors are green, yellow and orange. And it looks cool. Thanks Dani!" ~Huni P.

"Today we made layered density and mine's kind of messed up! The materials that we used were water, dish soap, alcohol and syrup and I think that mine messed up because of the water. Oh well...I'll do a better job next time (I hope!)...it was fun!" ~Arii V.
"It's messed up because I never poured it slowly. But I think it's awesome. I learned that liquids that weigh more sink." ~Melysa K.

"I feel mine didn't get messed up because I poured it slowly and the liquids on the side of the cup. The reason it's layered is because the denser liquids sink to the bottom while the less dense stay on top." ~Shantae D.
"I think you have to put the thicker layers in first because the thicker layers are more dense. So that makes the thinner layers stay on top." ~Branden L.

Victory for AMS Girls Basketball!

2011-02-12T16:12:00.004-10:00

Great job to the 7th and 8th grade girls basketball teams! They both defeated Moanalua! Miss Dani and Miss Natalie had a great time cheering on our girls from the club: Melysa, Jazmine, Michelle, Carla and Kawehi. Here's two of my favorite pics from the day, but click here for an album with lots more!

Michelle, Melysa and Jazmine running down the court

Carla and Kawehi wait for the action to start

Getting Goal-Oriented with Coco!

2011-02-11T18:59:00.004-10:00

Coco Ho returned to Aliamanu today for a visit! We created a special GRLZ 4 Change program this Friday for the girls to get some time with Coco to hear about her career and to talk about their own life goals. It was great to see Coco being so honest and authentic with the girls. It really created an environment where they felt comfortable to share about themselves as well. My favorite part was when Heather told the group that her goal was to sing in front of a crowd besides just her school. So Coco encouraged her to get up in front of the girls and share her signing skills with us. She did great.
After they talked for a bit, they played charades to act our their goals! There's tons of funny pictures on our Picasa album! And check out what the girls had to say about their time with Coco:

"It was fun when we played with Coco because we got to talk about our goals and what we love to do. We got to act out what we would want to be. My goal was being a professional basketball player." ~Melysa

"We talked with Coco Ho about goals today. My goal is to be a wedding planner. My favorite part was the games. Our team won! It was so much fun. Thanks Boys & Girls Club!" ~Brianna
"When we spent time with Coco, we played a game and talked about what our goals were. My favorite part was hearing the funny things she said like how she wears all, well mostly Volcom. Then she told us that it was mostly everything except her socks and underwear! This really made me laugh!" ~Carla

"We talked about goals and stuff and played a game. And Coco Ho was awesome! And I love her clothes!" ~Maria
"We played games and talked about our goals in life. What a lot of fun! I'm gonna miss her." ~Heather

And I loved Aleigha's drawing so much that I had to just scan and post her blog... :)

Marshmallow Towers!

2011-02-11T18:45:00.003-10:00

Last week's Mad Science gave the kids a chance to experiment with some architecture. They built towers out of marshmallows and toothpicks! Check out what they had to say...
"I made a marshmallow tower. It held up the book and I built the best structure! It was fun!" ~Diano

"We had fun building a marshmallow structure to balance a book. We won because we put a lot of toothpicks to hold the marshmallows up." ~Chelsea
"It was fun to make a marshmallow structure. We won but it survived only a little time. Then we put the Judy Blume book on it and it worked. I got a Club Buck!" ~Chad

"Today's experiment was fun. We had to build a marshmallow structure to hold up a book. Brandon, Arnold and I failed epicly! It fell because it was not supported well. But I ate a lot of marshmallows!" ~Preston
"During this Mad Science we had to build something out of marshmallows and toothpicks. With Justice's and Ari's help, we build a little box that we thought would work. But when we put the book on it, it failed and was crushed!" ~Shantae
"Today's experiment was really good. We tried to make the heavy book stand on toothpicks and marshmallows. No, mine didn't work but it was fun!" ~Keonna

Rain!

2011-02-07T20:53:00.003-10:00

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass…it's learning to dance in the rain."
To all the parents who greeted soggy, damp children today, I apologize! But if you had seen the pure glee in their faces as they danced in the rain, you would have had a hard time telling them to stop too. True, it's possible that they may catch a cold and they were probably freezing their butts off for the rest of the afternoon, but they were all so happy in the moment that I couldn't resist just taking pictures of them and laughing at their delight.
Days like today remind me that sometimes teens are more insightful than adults and they know how to take advantage of great opportunities for fun when they present themselves. And to me, I'd rather have them get soaking wet playing in the rain than causing trouble elsewhere after school. I've learned to pick and choose my battles. :)

~Natalie

Pro Bowl Recycling Project

2011-02-04T14:57:00.003-10:00

Our last major event of last weekend was the Pro Bowl Recycling Project. Aliamanu LITs teamed up with LITs from clubs all over the island to work together to collect cans and bottles from fans tailgating in the parking lot. The proceeds will be split among the clubhouses as a fundraiser.

"The Pro Bowl Recycling Drive was awesome. I met so many people like Jonathan who was helping give the trash bins to us and he was a good friend. The best part was sorting bottles and cans so we didn't have to walk around all day through the whole lower lot. Once we were done with nearly two hours of sorting, I felt so tired and could barely walk. Everyone else was tired too--we all fell asleep on the bus ride home. When the day was finished, I was relieved but I felt good also." ~Branden W.
"When I was at the Pro Bowl game it was so much fun because we passed out paper bags to random people to recycle cans and bottles." ~Kawehi
"During our recycling project we collected cans from people who were tailgating at the Pro Bowl. Even though it rained and it was messy, it was fun. In the end I think we raised a lot of money by collecting the cans. Also I think it was fun to just hang out with others." ~Shantae
"This weekend we went to a sleepover. It was fun. The next day we had a recycling project. A lot of people helped. We went around and asked people if they would help. Then it rained on us. By the time the rain stopped we were all wet. It was a lot of work! When we got on the bus a few people fell asleep!" ~Gabby C.

Aliamanu & Spalding Teen Sleepover

2011-02-04T13:56:00.002-10:00

The night before our big recycling project at the Pro Bowl, the Aliamanu & Spalding staff decided that it'd be fun to let the teens have a group sleepover. Rob hosted the event at the teen center, and it was a great way for the two groups of youth to meet each other and be ready to work side by side the next day. I debated sharing all the details of the night, but it was so hilarious, and the youth wrote wonderful blogs about it, so I had to include it on the Blogspot for the sake of historical reference. Because basically, this night will go down as one of the best ever for the LIT program. :)

Read on to hear two different accounts of the night! (One from the girls' perspective and one from the boys!)

"When I arrived at Spalding Clubhouse, I played foosball with Justice. I also played Dance Central with Gabby. Then I watched the Spalding boys play a video football game. After, me, Natalie, Justice, Alvin, Branden, Gabby, Shantae, Davion, Savannah, and Kawehi played a fun game of basketball. Then we went upstairs to the music room and played three games. The three games were "Truths," "Colors," and "How Well Do You Know Your Friend." After we all went downstairs inside the gym for a challenging game of dodge ball. Later it was dinner time. We decided to walk over to Zippy's and buy some delicious food with Natalie. When we finished our supper, we watched a funny movie called The Other Guys. When the movie was over, Rob told us some scary stories of the clubhouse and the rules for hide and seek. It was scary because it was really dark and silent. When the awesome game of hide and seek was over, we went to our rooms. In the girls' room we talked and played card games. Then we had an idea to prank the boys. We sneaked quietly into their room and drew on their faces, arms and legs. We also put frosting and cupcakes on them! We returned to our rooms, laughed, talked and went to sleep late!" ~Huni P.

"On Saturday at 5:00pm, I arrived at the Spalding Clubhouse to get ready for a sleepover. We did a lot of games till we went to sleep at midnight. So once everyone started to arrive, we played basketball. It was boys against girls. It was so much fun! Then we went to the performing arts studio to play games. Then after we played dodgeball. We split up into two teams, Aliamanu vs. Spalding...Aliamanu always lost! After we played dodgeball we went to buy our dinner. Some of us went to Jack in the Box and some went to Zippy's. I remember Shantae borrowed my money. After we bought our food, we watched a movie called "The Other Guys." That movie was funny and weird!

So after we watched the movie, we played hide-n-seek. Our first hiding spot was in the performing arts studio. I remember when we were running inside the performing arts studio, we ran in the back and then Savannah bumped into the chair rack. But then when we were talking so loudly, we heard this noise, and the door shook very loud, and then we ran at the end of the corner and we were huddling up with Miss Natalie and while Miss Dani was standing and hiding right next to the cabinet. Dani was like "What was that!?" So Natalie told us that we should go back to the teen center, so we ran to the teen center so then once we came downstairs, the people who were "it" found us. So we were the first ones out, and we were still shouting and running to the teen center. So Shantae and Huni were now "it." Our second hiding spot was under the big table with all these boxes and supplies. We were hiding under the tables for like 30 minutes and then during the 30 minutes, I remember that everyone was on the phone and I remember that I said "I need to pee!" and I was so scared! But maybe that wasn't me who said all that...it was my twin brother...haha! So while we were waiting we were all found by Mr. Rob. Rob told Huni and Shantae to "stay" and then stayed in their hiding place in the shower. And then Mr. Rob totally messed up and confused everyone! Oh, and Mr. Franz was hiding in the same room with us, but he was hiding on the other side of the corner. So Alvin and Jin are now it, and our third hiding spot was in the classroom. I was hiding by the cabinet and and the rest of the group was hiding under the tables at the other corner. So when Jin and Alvin came in the classroom, I was rolling and crawling under the table. But once they came here, they have already found so I was the first one out. But when they asked me if I was alone, I lied and said I was, but really there were Aliamanu people hiding in there too. So I ran back to the teen center until everyone got caught. And then when the game was over it was me and Chapman's turn to be it, so we just found everybody.

So after the game, we started to go to bed, but everyone was like "No way, we don't want to go to sleep! Can't we play just one more game?" but then we went to bed after midnight. So Mr. Franz, Alvin and I were the only ones awake, while everyone else was sleeping. I was looking at the ceiling and there was a drawing of a clown that really creeped me out. But then I started making Alvin go to sleep by singing him a song, it went like this: "Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep little evil" hahaha! Once Alvin went to sleep, I was starting to fall asleep. Once we went to sleep, the door was opened and the girls came in very quiet and they had pulled a prank on us. We woke up and I saw Alvin's forehead and there was "Hi" written on it. I had something on my palm and it was filled with frosting. The rest of the girls were putting cupcake icing on all of the boys who were sleeping. So we all woke up and went to see the girls and I was sure they were acting so innocent. They planned to do this while Dani, Bri and Natalie were sleeping. (Side Note: We weren't asleep! That's what we convinced the boys!) So I had fun at the sleepover!" ~Justice M.

"...Then when we were all sleeping the girls put frosting on all of us! I was like "What is this?" the I licked it and went back to sleep." ~Alvin M.

As you can see, the kids had a great time. Rest assured that they were supervised the whole time and that everyone was safe! It was obvious that the sleepover brought the whole group together much closer and everyone loves retelling stories from their fun night. Needless to say, the staff had to function on less than an hour of sleep the next day--but it was worth it for all the laughs!
~Natalie

NFL Pro Bowl Clinics at Kapiolani Park!

2011-02-04T09:03:00.004-10:00

Last weekend the Pro Bowl came to town and the Boys & Girls Club was lucky enough to participate in some pretty awesome events! Saturday morning Aliamanu took 30 youth to Kapiolani Park for a football & cheerleading clinic. Check out what everyone had to say about it! It's fun to see how all the kids had their own unique, memorable experiences.

"On Saturday from 8:30am-12:30pm we went to the Pro Bowl clinic at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki. We had this obstacle course for football. And, while we played football, the NFL players signed our tee shirts. We had so much fun! I had a great time! We ran and we played hard!" ~Justice M.
"I did running drills and passing drills. I got a shirt and a bag and water bottle. Also, I got the players autographs. I was really fun and exciting!" ~Jimmy G.

"Cheerleading was fun but the sun was scorching! I liked yelling even though the cheers were weird. When the cheerleaders autographed my shirt it tickled. We sang in the bus on the ride home and it sounded horrible but it was fun!" ~Maria M.

"Hey, this is Courtney! I had so much fun at the NFL Clinic. I did the football part. Let me tell you, it was FUN! There were 4 stations to do, free gatorade and people in the NFL and we got their autographs!! I had fun and I hope we do something like that again." ~Courtney N.
"The Pro Bowl clinic was really fun. I did cheerleading and I had to yell a lot so my voice was hoarse the next day. I learned two cheers which were super cool. And I got to see cute boys play football...hehe! It was really fun!" ~Heather F.

"The football clinic was fun and I saw 5 NFL football players. I remembered the Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons. We had 4 types of places to play at such as football drills. At the end we got cool bags and tee shirts." ~Nico D.

"My favorite part was meeting the players. We got to play with them and throw the football and after we got cool bags and cool pictures with them and they signed our shirts too!" ~Erinne D.

"The NFL Clinic was awesome! I met Devon Bess, he was my favorite player and I always used to look up to him. I also got souvenirs like a Play 60 bag and a water bottle. It was awesome. I hope we do the clinic again." ~Branden W.

"At the Pro Bowl I chose the cheerleading. It was fun but it got a little confusing because they went fast. I got a free bag and a water bottle! Also I got some autographs from the cheerleading. My favorite part was when me, Carole and the kids were taking pictures." ~Kiana M.
"The Pro Bowl clinic was very fun. We had to do a lot of fun activities. The first thing that we had to do was that we had to put on the bands and then we had to wear these tee shirts and then after that we played a lot of games that kept us active and in shape. And then after all those games we got a bag with a bottle. Then we got to meet football players. It was fun!" ~Ariitema V.

"There was a coach that challenged me to do the Dougie! One of the NFL players chose me to play catch. When the coach threw the ball I ran to catch it but fell and slipped in front of everybody! I had fun though!" ~Melysa K.

"Pro Bowl was fun. We learned 3 new cheers. Overall I was tired but yet I had a good time with the Boys & Girls Club. Hopefully this will happen again next year because I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed tumbling and doing the splits again. It felt good to flex out, lol!" ~Carole A.
"The football clinic was fun and a good experience. When I arrived at Kapiolani Park, we got some super cool tee shirts. Then we went into our lines. So we waited for a while, then the fun began. We played games like walking in these squares, running around cones, throwing footballs and pulling the other team's flags. After we played all the awesome activities, we ate lunch, rested and left. What a great day I will never forget! :)" ~Huni P.

To see all the photos from the event, visit our Picasa Album!

Healthy Treats for No-Bake Cooking

2011-02-01T10:27:00.003-10:00

In our no-bake cooking program, Dani's been teaching the youth how easy it is to make snacks and small meals instead of always eating out. This week they made one of their favorites--smoothies! Everyone loved them!

"Oh wow! The smoothies are mmm mmm good! But the bananas made it have a funny after taste. Just a little! But they were still good. Especially the BEFORE taste...haha! I'm silly. We should do this again. Maybe I can bring my own things to put in it!" ~Sarah G.
"That was so much fun! It was delicious and tasty! Most of all yummy for our tummy. It's healthier than going to McDonald's." ~Melysa K.

"The smoothies were delicious. I think they could've had more strawberry though!" ~Heather F.
"The smoothie was very delicious and I really enjoyed it. I hope to make more next time." ~Arii V.

"This was so much fun because we got to make smoothies with our friends. And it's healthier than McDonald's!" ~Dominic D.
"The smoothies were very delicious. Yummy and healthy with bananas, strawberries and there was even yogurt and milk. It makes your yummy tummy feel good!" ~Justice M.

Power Hour Pays Off!

2011-02-01T10:22:00.003-10:00

Philip's hard work during Power Hour is really paying off!

"I got my prize for being in Power Hour every day and gaining up points to get a new backpack. When I saw my bag I was like, 'Whoa, that's really cool!'"

Welcome Coco Ho!

2011-01-26T16:04:00.003-10:00

Today was a really special day at the club. We welcomed a new volunteer to our team--Coco Ho! For those of who you don't know, Coco is a 19 year old surfer on the World Tour, sponsored by Volcom. With the help of Volcom's Sustainability & Outreach Director Derek, Coco chose the Aliamanu Boys & Girls Club as the site for her volunteer service. She'll be dedicating 50 hours of service to our club throughout the next year, leading special projects with our youth and other club youth around the island.

To prepare for our special guest, the members made a sign out of surfboards that said "Welcome Coco Ho!" It was a great way to show her how excited they were for her to come. We introduced her during our weekly announcements and the kids answered trivia questions to win some awesome prizes that Derek brought with him--Volcom tee shirts, stickers, hats and more!
Then Coco played a few games with the kids. She participated in the "Under Over Sponge Relays," played a game of pickup basketball, and helped her team win at pool! Read on to hear how much fun the kids had with her!

"I had a fun time with Coco. She is really cool to be around. I had fun playing basketball and at the pool table, but most of all I liked it when we were talking about college and high school. I told her I was going to Kahuku and she was surprised. I really think she is a good friend and I would never forget the time we were talking and she told me I am just like her friends at Kahuku High. I hope I meet her again!" ~Melysa K.
"Coco and JP beat Preston, Brandon and me in pool. She was very good at pool because she made most of the balls go in!" ~Chelsea

"I had an amazing time with Coco. We had a really fun time playing basketball and she is an awesome ping pong and pool player. And she smells like mangoes!" ~Preston

"Coco Ho is a very nice girl. She's super pretty and the most youngest girl surfer, and she was the youngest to enter the world tour! I would want to hang out with Coco to know her more and to be friends with her." ~Jaimie
"Today Coco Ho came to the Boys & Girls Club. She is cool and really nice! It was pretty fun meeting her. It was awesome for her to come visit us!" ~Caitlin

"Coco was a pretty cool person. I played basketball with her and she made a few shots and made me laugh sometimes. She should start coming here from now on. She's a cool person." ~Branden W.

"I had fun with Coco Ho. We did a picture of all of us in the end. It was fun!" ~Gabby

"Coco is good at pool. She won with JP. We won at basketball when I was on her team. And she almost beat me at ping pong!" ~Brandon B.

Mentos Rockets Take 2!

2011-01-23T15:33:00.003-10:00

For Mad Science this week, youth tried the Mentos Rocket experiment again with different types of sodas. Their results were pretty awesome and it's obvious that the kids always love this one!

"Today was so cool! We got to put Mentos on a paperclip. Then we went outside. Guest what we did next? You got it--we made soda explode!" ~Keonna

"For this Mad Science, we put Mentos in soda so they would explode. Mine was one of the highest! But the best part was it exploding in Delysa's face!" ~Shantae
"OMG!! Mentos in soda is the best experiment you could possibly do. When I first put the Mentos in the soda, it started bubbling then shot out of the soda bottle! FUN!! But, the mystery is how do we get the paperclip with the Mentos on it out!?" ~Delysa

"I thought this was a fun Mad Science! Ours went the highest and it was awesome. I thought ours wasn't gonna go up, but it did!" ~Esther

"Our team was the last one, who got the highest. Exploding Mentos was awesome! After that, we started drinking it while the Mentos was still inside!" ~Justice

Get Your Pop-Pop-Popcorn!

2011-01-21T11:51:00.005-10:00

Last night we returned to Radford High School for another fundraiser. We served fresh popcorn with a variety of toppings, juice and some candy. I'd like to say that it was a mad success and that we made tons of money, but unfortunately we didn't. But, I thought it was important to still blog about it because at the Boys & Girls Club we encourage honesty, learning from challenges, and admitting when we need to improve.

We learned that maybe basketball games aren't the best venue because fans aren't allowed to bring food into the gymnasium. We also learned that it's difficult to figure out how to price a fundraiser item--generally speaking, fundraiser treats are more expensive than they might be in a store because it's known that the profit is going to a good cause. However, if you price it too high, no one will buy it anyway! We ended up lowering the price halfway through the night and selling a few more bags. Another thing we realized is that popcorn doesn't really sell well when it's hot outside. We were lucky to have sunshine instead of rain, but most people didn't seem to want a hot treat!
That being said, our LITs still managed to make the night lots of fun. Gabby, our new LIT president, did a great job serving the popcorn to customers all night. Shantae used her skills from the snack bar to work the cash register too. Justice created fun slogans to advertise our treats (Get your pop-pop-popcorn!), and Kawehi and Carla ran through the stands handing out flyers. And when we weren't busy, the kids were practicing catching popcorn in their mouths and just hanging out with each other. At the end of the night when I drove everyone home, feeling somewhat disappointed with the results of the night, I was happy to hear the kids chatting in the back seat saying things like "Tonight was so much fun!" and "Can we do this again!?" It made me realize that the word FUN comes before FUND in fundraising.
Needless to say, if anyone has any great ideas for where we can sell a TON more popcorn in the future, let me know. :)

~Natalie, Program Director

Narratives for Nikes

2011-01-21T08:16:00.004-10:00

Aliamanu was lucky enough to have an awesome pair of Nikes donated to us from an old staff member, Cynthia. To earn the shoes, members were asked to write an essay about their goals and plans for success, and then to compare and contrast them to Michael Jordan's success. Courtney blew us away with her amazing essay! What I really liked about it was the organization, complex sentences, vocabulary words and the use of a quotation.

This is going to be an essay that will compare and contrast my plans for personal success compared to Michael Jordan's determination to succeed. My plans for personal success would be always trying my hardest and never giving up. Another goal would be to have a job that I enjoy when I grow up. Also, I plan on helping others and giving back to the people who have helped me. I also plan on having a decided mind on what I want to do and stick with that. Lastly, I plan on staying active and doing sports like volleyball and having good sportsmanship. Those are some examples of some of my goals that I have for throughout my life.

Now I am going to tell you about how my plans for personal success and goals relates to Michael Jordan's determination to succeed. Michael Jordan was always compelled to try his hardest, just like my goals, if he didn't get something the first time he tried over and over; he took it personally if he didn't succeed which led to him to practice and try harder until he was the best at whatever it was he was trying to do. Like one time when he didn't make the high school varsity team; he set out to prove everybody wrong and soon after that he became the best player out of his entire school. This is just like my goal to never give up, I say this because he didn't give up at the sport, he kept trying and I hope I can do something like that instead of giving up because practice makes perfect and I can't get better at anything unless I try.

Michael Jordan once said "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. There was 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." He means that we learn from our mistakes and you try harder so you don't make the same mistake and that is like my goal of trying my hardest all the time. This is because if we learn from our mistakes, then we try harder not to repeat that mistake and every time I mess up I would want to try harder and harder which means I am closer to succeeding each time.

He probably also planned on staying active just like me because he is into sports like basketball and I don't think he would just throw that away; I love volleyball and I don't think I could just get rid of it and quit playing; this is like my goal of continuing to be active.

What I like about Michael Jordan is that he always found time to give back. He was not greedy with his money and he always worked hard at everything that he did. He was very determined and never gave up. He always found a way to triumph in any situation. He always found time to spend with his family. This is how I hope to be when I grow up and this is some of the stuff that he does so this would be the same sort of thing as my goals. He is a good person for the most part and I hope to be like that, maybe even better.

Now I am going to talk about how my future plans contrast Michael Jordan's determination to succeed. One thing is that he doesn't have that good of sportsmanship. For example when he was on the Chicago Bulls he once lost a ping pong match to a teammate, he then went out and bought his own ping pong table and worked on his ping pong game for hours on end until he was the best ping pong player on the team. Michael Jordan was very results oriented and he always wanted to win and be the best; he set out to do just that, and he did. He is now in the Hall of Fame with six championship rings and regarded by many as the best basketball player ever. When I grow up I hope I can accept the fact that I am not the best and move on with my life and accept that I cannot always be the best at everything. That is one way he is not like me.

Another way his determination is unlike my own goals is because of the fact that he didn't stick with the same team all the time and he kept coming in and out of retirement. He went out on time for an injury (to get surgery on his knees) and another time because of depressions because of his dad's death. I can understand that, but he also went in retirement because he was tired of losing and then he joined the Wizards instead of going back to the Bulls. I hope that when I grow up I can make my mind and stick with it, even if the team I am on isn't always winning, I hope I would choose to stay with my own, original team but try to make improvements to the team so we have a better chance of winning other games.

Other than the two differences I hope I can be similar to Michael Jordan. That's all about how my goals and plans for personal success are similar and different to Michael Jordan's determination to succeed.

Egg Drop!!

2011-01-21T07:59:00.003-10:00

Last Friday, the Mad Science program explored physics with the classic Egg Drop experiment. Youth were given a variety of materials to work with and then dropped the eggs from our "back porch" into the parking lot. The kids had a great time whether their eggs made it or not! Read on to hear what the kids thought:

"Well today we did the classic egg drop. I really had a fun time. When I dropped the egg, I felt that it was going to crack. But because of my cushy cushioning, my egg didn't. I wish it did!" ~Raphael

"My egg did not break because I had foam around it and the egg was in the middle and it was wrapped around in duct tape and the foam guarded it." ~Rudy

"My egg didn't break during the egg toss because I made sure that it was safely wrapped. Also because I made sure I didn't slam it to the ground." ~Shantae

"I really liked egg dropping. My egg was wrapped perfectly. But I kind of got carried away and threw it hard." ~Keonna

"Today we did an egg drop. It was fun! I put a lot of soft things in my cup, then I put my egg on top and more soft things. I was happy that my egg made it!" ~Gabby

"I don't think my egg cracked because it bounced!!" ~Tomoko

"I thought this was fun. I liked this because we had to come and think of ways for it not to crack. In the end it was the bomb!" ~Esther

"Mine broke because maybe I didn't use enough soft stuff or maybe it was too high to fall. And maybe I need to be more careful!" ~Patrick

Battle of the Bottle Balloons!

2011-01-07T17:34:00.003-10:00

Today in Mad Science the kids experimented with some chemistry! In a project dubbed “Bottle Balloons” by the youth, they learned how mixing different ingredients creates carbon dioxide that will cause a balloon to inflate. Read on to find out about what they learned!

“During Mad Science we had soda, lemon juice, water, and vinegar to pour into a bottle. Then in a balloon you put baking soda or Pop Rocks. Then you put the balloon over the bottle and the balloon would start to expand because of the carbon dioxide.” ~Shantae D.

“Hey…this is Courtney! Today we had a battle of the bottle balloons. My group filled our bottle with Sierra Mist. We filled our balloon with Pop Rocks and baking soda. Then we put the balloon with the bottle and the balloon blew up. It was really cool!” ~Courtney N.

“I took the vinegar and the baking soda in the bottle and the balloon grew up. The balloon grew because of carbon dioxide.” ~Jamal O.

“Today we did the Bottle Balloons project. It was fun! We combined Pop Rocks, soda and baking soda. It made a big balloon!” ~Gabby C.

“Today was great. I learned how to make carbon dioxide in a bottle with Pop Rocks, lemon juice and baking soda. The balloon blows up when we mixed everything.” ~Keonna M.

Going Out with a SPLASH at Wet'n'Wild!

2010-12-30T19:11:00.005-10:00

For the last day of the excursion program, we saved the best field trip for last and headed out to Kapolei to the Wet'n'Wild water park! Although it rained as we drove through Pearl City and Ewa, it cleared up by the time we made it there and we were lucky to have blue skies for the day. We split the youth into smaller groups so they could pick which rides they wanted to go on. The younger kids loved playing in what they called "Mario World" because of the big red and white mushroom fountain, and the older kids waited in line for almost an hour to ride the Raging River! Hunter and Kainoa both tried out "Da Flowrider" boogie boarding ride and did really well!

Bryson and AJ A. buddied up for the day and Amanda, Heather and Kelsey
hung out with them for the Raging River ride!

Hunter did great on Da Flowrider!

Maybe the most fun part was the Hawaiian Waters wave pool though, because so many members could hang out together and have fun. We had a great time taking photos of the youth underwater, we braved the strong waves together and the barrage of inner-tubes, and jumped through the waves to stay above water!

Nice underwater shaka, Heather!

Shane I. waited patiently for the wave pool to open!

This might be the best smile ever from Brandon B!

All in all, it was a great way to end the week. Youth who had never met each other made new friends throughout the entire program. By the fourth day, it didn't really matter how old you were, what school you went to, or if you were a boy or a girl--everyone just wanted to have fun with each other and found people who liked the same rides as them. We're already looking forward to the spring break program and hopefully meeting even more new youth to welcome to the BGCH!

To check out photos from the whole week, view our Picasa Album!

Venturing up to the Windward Side!

2010-12-29T21:00:00.005-10:00

For the third day of our winter program, we headed up to the Windward side (as if it wasn't rainy enough for us in town!) to go bowling and to watch a movie. At Pali Lanes we split into small groups so everyone had plenty of time to bowl.

Ocean, Skyler, Kai and Micah are always hamming it up for the camera!

The older members broke into two teams: "Team Awesome" and "Team LIT," and worked together to try to have the highest combined scores. Team Awesome lived up to their name and won both games!

Introducing Team Awesome: Branden, Shane, AJ and Rachel!

It was also great seeing even the littlest members lifting those huge bowling balls to hit down the pins. Part of Sebastian's skill was his dance he'd do after the threw the ball to encourage it to hit the pins! Everyone had fun even when they weren't bowling--whether it was filming other kids participating, challenging Rob to a staring contest (I think Gabby won most of the time!), or just eating lunch together. And Donovan somehow broke his slipper, so he got a piggy back ride from Miss Dani for the rest of the day!

Then we headed out to Windward Mall to go watch Tangled. We had a little bit of down-time before the movie, so we played 3 games in the center court--Rob led "Follow the Leader," Bri led "Truths" and Dani led "Colors." Our staff always tries to make every last minute fun! When we made it to the theaters, groups of youth put their money together to share snacks and save some money, and then they all sat together to watch the movie. It was really hilarious and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

Winter Intersession - Ice Palace!!

2010-12-28T17:57:00.009-10:00

Day 2 of our winter program coincided well with the "chilly" weather in Honolulu--we headed over to the Ice Palace for a day full of skating! Before we got there, we had a Crazy Sock Contest back at the club! Lots of the kids got creative and wore mismatched socks with fun patterns. Each contestant had a chance to "model" their socks--Brandon strutted the catwalk and Amanda kicked her legs high in the air to emphasize her brightly colored knee socks!

Everyone else voted on who they thought deserved a free cup of hot chocolate (prizes were given to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place). Jewel and Kai tied for 2nd--Jewel had some crazy layered socks and Kai decorated his own! And Zack won by an overwhelming number of votes for his neon socks, which he borrowed from his older sister!

When we got to the Ice Palace, everyone rented their skates and hit the ice! Some youth were really skilled skaters and other were just trying for the first time, but they all managed to have a blast. One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing youth helping each other learn how to skate. The staff had plenty of fun too and skated a few laps and played tag with the youth on the ice. Gabby got some great video footage by wearing one of our smaller video cameras around her neck and in her pocket while she skated around the rink, and Rachel, AJ and Kainoa got an opportunity to learn how to use the HD camcorder as well. When the youth weren't skating, they were winning prizes in the arcade, eating lunch together, and just hanging out. At the end of the day, everyone said their favorite part was when they turned the lights out and used the disco lights!

Shantae, Justice, Naomi, Gabby and Alvin took a break from skating for a photo op!

Adrian and Kyler had fun playing together all day!

Zander and Sebastian are showing us what brotherly love is all about!

AJ, Rachel and Kainoa were a key part of the media crew today!

Winter Excursion Program - Hanauma Bay

2010-12-27T21:37:00.006-10:00

The first day of our Winter Excursion Program was a series of fortunate events! We rented enough snorkel gear for 34 youth the day before, knowing that the weather forecast was not promising...but we decided to take the risk and hope for the best. Around 9:00am it started pouring and we even heard some thunder! But as quickly as the rain came in, it moved on and the dark clouds parted to...lighter clouds! :) We headed out to Hanauma Bay, where we had a chance to look around the exhibits in the welcome center and then we got a special presentation from the education team there. We had a private screening of the movie that they play for guests that visit the bay, and learned some detailed information about the different types of fish in the bay. We also learned a little bit about conservation and we were shocked to learn that soup cans take about 50 years to decompose and diapers take about 450 years!

Skyler, AJ and Brandon learning about all the fishes in Hanauma Bay!

After the educational session we headed down the huge hill to the bay. Youth took turns using two new waterproof video cameras to capture footage of the fish and their friends having fun. One of the cameras can be mounted onto a head-strap, so youth had the change to take "point of view" footage. At one point, the headgear & camera went missing in the ocean...reports were that a bird took it and dropped it, or two turtles were playing with it, or even that a shark stole it! Fortunately, the youth worked together to find the camera not far from where the group was snorkeling. We can't wait to see the footage that they captured. Everyone was excited about all of the creatures they saw--huge parrotfish, eels and even an octopus!

Huli and Kelsey were expert snorkelers!

When the youth wanted to take a break from snorkeling, they had a great time splashing around in the water, burying each other in the sand, and competing in handstand contests. I'm thrilled to see that everyone was making new friends right away and having a fun time together. I know that the rest of the week will only get better!

Ja'don, Lindsey and Sara were showing off their handstand skills!

To check out more photos from the excursion program, click here!

Holiday Spirit at Aliamanu

2010-12-27T21:18:00.003-10:00

Whew--I can't believe how quickly first semester finished! December was filled with lots of fun and excitement, and our Program Assistants Dani & Bri did a really great job coming up with creative projects to help our youth get in the spirit of the season. We watched some of our favorite holiday movies like "The Santa Clause" and "Elf," we created candy cane reindeer and gingerbread houses, and on the last day before break, we headed to the Spalding Clubhouse for their Winter Dance. Check out some of the photos from the month of December!

The youth and staff worked together to make these awesome decorations!
Each member had their own "Be Great" ornament on the tree!

Keonna was really creative and made a candy cane reindeer and a pipe worm!

Brandon, Bradley and Raphael played their ukuleles in style!

Brigina made a pretty awesome gingerbread house!

Tiana, Kiana and Jerricah danced the night away at the Spalding Clubhouse!

A Candyland Christmas at the Salt Lake Shopping Center

2010-12-13T20:36:00.006-10:00

This past Saturday our Program Assistants Bri & Dani represented the Aliamanu BGCH at the Salt Lake Shopping Center Fun Fair. They created a card-making booth for youth to create greeting cards for family members or for recovering soldiers. Over 50 children from around the community had a chance to become artistic with glitter, stickers, ribbon, holiday cut-outs and more to create beautiful holiday cards for the people that mean the most to them and for troops in our community. Dani shared "It was amazing how some kids got so creative and how making a holiday card made them so happy. I had a lot of fun and I think everyone else did too!" Bri felt that "the event was a great way for the Aliamanu BGCH to get out and help other youth give back to their community."

A big thanks to our awesome staff that did a great job reaching out to youth in Salt Lake!

Aliamanu has Gone MAD!!

2010-12-06T19:55:00.003-10:00

Program Assistants Dani & Bri debuted a new program at the club last Friday--Mad Science! The program helps youth practice the scientific method with hands-on experiments, then asks them to evaluate the experiment afterward with a brief write-up. Here's what a few of the youth had to say:

"Hey, this is Courtney! Today we did Bottle Rockets. Just in case you didn't know, Bottle Rockets is when you put Mentos into soda and then there's a fountain of soda. We did that for our Mad Science activity. It looked awesome and I ate 3 Mentos! :) Well, I had a blast--LOL, get it, "blast,"...rockets...haha!" ~Courtney N.

"So, today I participated in a science experiment that was so totally fun and classic: Mentos in diet Coke. Well, what I have learned from my experience is that you should be fast in putting your Mentos in or you will be blasted with soda! Overall this was so super delicious fantastic--the best experiment I have done in my life!" ~Raphael L.

"Today we put Mentos in soda, and we had to see what happened. The experiment was fun because we got to see the soda explode. Plus we go to drink the soda afterward, but the soda tasted like mint." ~Chelsea F.

"The experiment today was cool. I've never done anything like that before. The experiment contained teamwork and ninja-skills. Thanks for the Mentos and soda. Miss Dani and Miss Bri rock!" ~DH W.

"I exploded a diet soda. I think it would explode more if it was regular. After it fizzed up quick then we drank it and then we all took a picture." ~Brandon B.

"Today we did a bottle rocket experiment. We had soda and Mentos. We did everything we were supposed to but it never worked. But it was still fun." ~Preston M.

All Aboard! SOMK at the Battleship Missouri

2010-12-03T10:37:00.003-10:00

We finished November and started December with a second "Speak Out for Military Kids" media project. We had 8 boys participate in the project--6 were military and 2 were local. We began by playing games together and learning a little bit more about each other before we dove into the deep end discussing deployment. Through playing a game called "Truths," the boys were able to learn that military kids and local kids aren't all that different. For example, we found out that even the local kids weren't born in Hawaii, that most of them liked roller coasters, and they were all hesitant to admit to being afraid of the dark. The next game we played was a life-size board game (or rather room game!) called the Deployment Game. The boys took turns moving along the spaces, reading aloud different situations like "You get a surprise phone call from a loved one--move forward 2 spaces" or "You fail a math test due to stress--move back 1 space." Through the activities, they were able to feel a little more comfortable with each other and get ready for the tough part of talking about deployment the next day.

To make the task a little less nerve-wracking and more fun and interesting, we conducted the interviews and media portion of the project aboard the U.S.S. Missouri Battleship at Pearl Harbor. Thanks to the help of Chief Thompson, and education coordinators Dan and Neil, the boys were able to get some great interviews on the bow of the ship, and look around the ship for some "B-roll" (other clips to use for the movie). The boys asked each other questions like "What is deployment?," "How do you act different when your parent is deployed?," and "When going through tough times, what would make you feel supported by those around you?" Although some of the boys were camera-shy, they all warmed up and were able to talk about deployment in an honest and open way. It was a struggle at time to talk about the harder parts of deployment, but they were encouraged to be real because they knew that it would help other military kids feel less alone, and like the feelings they were experiencing were normal.

All in all, the youth had a great time putting together the project. Now comes the waiting part...editing always takes a lot longer than filming, so it'll take a little while to get the film finished and ready to watch. Of course, we'll post it up when it's finished! In the meantime, check out all the pics from the day in our Picasa album!

GRLZ 4 Change Help Hawaii's Homeless Keiki

2010-11-22T15:58:00.008-10:00

The girls worked hard all day Friday raising money for homeless keiki! To check out more photos from the GRLZ 4 Change program, click here!

Aliamanu Program Assistants Bri and Dani have been working hard to help young girls at the BGCH to feel empowered and like they can make a difference in their community. The first major service project for our GRLZ 4 Change program was in conjunction with Project Hawaii, Inc. Project Hawaii works to provide homeless keiki on the Waianae Coast with food and other supplies. Our girls focused on asking for donations of hygiene products around the community. Club members and Aliamanu Middle School students helped donate through the week, but the girls knew that we could raise more by reaching out to others outside the club. The girls stationed themselves near Longs in the Salt Lake Shopping Center, explaining their mission to passing customers and asking for donations.

Courtney N. wrote about her experience at Longs: "Today we had an awesome time at GRLZ 4 Change. We are doing a hygiene drive and we went down by Longs and tried to raise money and hygiene products. We are raising this stuff for the homeless keiki along the Waianae Coast. I was happy I was helping the cause. I am also doing it tomorrow and I hope more people decide to donate. A lot of people donated, BUT, there were some people that just laughed and walked away. I can't wait till they do it again and we get to help."

The girls collected lots of supplies and raised $27 outside of Longs and used that money to buy more products from Longs to donate. In the end of it all, they had over 160 bottles of shampoo, bars of soap, and all sorts of other hygiene products to donate to Project Hawaii!

So, on Friday, the girls headed out to the Kapolei Shopping Center. There they presented Project Hawaii with the goods they had gathered, and then they helped to raise more money for the cause! A few of the girls that participated in the field trip wrote about their time in Kapolei:

"The purpose for the field trip was for people to donate to the homeless people. So what we did was wear the posters that said 'Donate to the homeless!' And we had a net for the people in the car to put the money in. We raised a lot of money so the homeless can EAT!" ~Sharlene T.

"Last Friday some Boys & Girls Club members and I went to Kapolei to collect money donations for the homeless keiki. A funny thing that happened was when some guy wanted to donate money to me but I couldn't grab it from his hand because it was a green light and he had to go, plus he was moving and so when the other girls tried getting it he threw it out of his car before he was about to turn left. Anyways, I had a lot of fun and it was a time I wouldn't want to miss." ~Carla T.

"On the field trip we collected money for charity. It was fun just watching everyone yell 'Donate!' Haha! I also liked the snacks they provided. Also, collecting all that money helped 1,000 kids. :) It was the bestest field trip I had this month--it was fun, funny and cool!" ~Esther S.

"The field trip was really fun. I loved the whole thing because I love yelling and I did a lot of that there to get the people in the cars attention. And I love the fact that I helped kids who really needed it. :) Plus, the kids must be really happy that we are doing this for them. And that's why I did it." ~Maria M.

Overall, I'm really excited about all of the hard work that Bri & Dani have put into this program, and I'm even more impressed with how much effort our awesome girls put into helping other youth in need on the island! Just think of how much each one of these young ladies can accomplish in just a few years when they are adults--the possibilities are inspiring!

~Natalie, Program Director

Babies are Expensive!

2010-11-15T18:37:00.005-10:00

As part of the SMART Moves curriculum, Rob & Natalie took the LITs to Target (one of our favorite places to visit!) to send them on a quest to price out baby supplies. Our goal was to help the youth understand just how expensive it is to care for a baby--and hopefully this knowledge will help them in remaining abstinent until they are ready to support a family. First, youth priced out items such as diapers, clothing, strollers, car seats and more. Of course we didn't just send the youth out to look for supplies and wait for them...instead, we spied on them to see who of the pairs was really working and who wasn't taking the task as seriously. Then, the youth who didn't put as much effort into the first exercise received an emergency list: "Your Baby is Sick!" They had to go back to through the store with a 10 minute time limit to find other random items that a sick baby might need, pronto!

Read on to enjoy their comments about shopping for babies:

"This trip to Target was fun because we got to go walk around Target learning about how much you spend on babies. During our walk we had a list of things and we had to find out how much they cost. With all the items added up, the price was a total of $980--and that wasn't even everything! So we learned that babies cost a lot to have and to take care of." ~Shantae D.

"I've learned that when your baby is born your wife will tell you to buy all these certain things for the babies but sometimes it's so expensive! But it's gonna take a lot of work and it's gonna be very hard to take care of a baby." ~Justice M.

"What I learned is that you have to buy a lot of items for your baby and you also need a lot of money in order to pay for that. I also learned that some people might not want to help you if you have a baby as a teenager." ~Huni P.

"I learned that people use a lot of money for babies even though the price tags don't seem to be that much. I also learned that some stuff isn't in the same place. You will be busy when you have a baby!" ~Alvin M.

"It's hard to search for medicine and other things. Also this teaches me that babies require a lot of money and attention. Also, this will effect my life with my friends and girlfriend." ~Kevin C.

"Something that surprised me was how tiring the task was with the time limit. It was hard going back and forth through the store." ~Bradley S.

"I've learned that getting all the things you need for a baby is expensive and you need to have it all the time. It was a lot of work!" ~Gabby C.

BE GREAT is Makin' Waves at Aliamanu

2010-11-05T21:37:00.003-10:00

I must admit, I'm in love with the Boys & Girls Club of America's new BE GREAT campaign! I think it's such a great way for youth to think about and articulate their unique personality characteristics and strengths. I've been trying to find ways to incorporate the new BE GREAT campaign into our clubhouse, but it's a little tough when we can't do much to decorate or change the atmosphere because we use space within the middle school. Realistically though, all that really means is that we have to be inspired to think a little bit outside of the box and come up with some creative ways to help our youth make the club feel like their own.

So for the last few years I've had a junky surfboard that barely floats sitting around in my house. I've contemplated just leaving it up on the North Shore for someone to use for part of a fence or to try to fix it up, but never got around to doing it. Thank goodness I didn't! Our clubhouse turned it into an awesome art project that encouraged many of our youth to be engaged and contribute to its design.

So I started it off by creating a blank canvas with two words written across it: BE GREAT. We gave youth a few different paint colors and just asked them to think of other things that they wanted to be! It was really interesting to see how creative the youth really can be with such little guidance--within a few hours they were swirling colors, using the back end of the paint brushes to write with thinner letters and coming up with some really unique phrases. Each child's phrase really spoke to who they were as a person and I think it really helped them value the unique aspects of themselves. I'm so excited to display the surfboard and it's messages for years to come!

~Natalie, Program Director

Halloween Fun at the Club!

2010-10-25T17:49:00.012-10:00

To start off the Halloween week and get in the spirit of the fun holiday, the youth had the chance to try their skills at bobbing for apples and showed off their artistic personalities while painting mini-pumpkins. It was great to see so many youth participating and having fun together! Enjoy the accounts of a few members for today's festivities!

"Wow, bobbing for apples was so much fun! Although I took like 7 seconds to do it. And besides that, I got apple stuck in my braces but it was so much fun! Hope I get to do it again!" ~Sarah G., 7th Grade

"Bobbing for apples is very hard to play and a little disgusting! First you dump your head into a bucket of water. Second, you try to chase the apple. Last, bite the apple and take it out!" ~Patrick S., 7th Grade

"Today's game was about apples. The rules were to try and bite the apple without using your hands. Also the apples were in the water. Some people were really quick!" ~Caitlin M., 7th Grade

"My pumpkin painting was fun. I made a pumpkin with a happy face and a hat. After I was done Miss Dani said that it was nice and that I was artistic! After we painted, I helped clean up the table and the floor and earned extra Power Hour points for community service." ~Brian A., 7th Grade

"Hey...this is Courtney! Today I am going to talk about the pumpkin painting. Everybody had a blast! We mixed colors to paint cool looking pumpkins. I had a really mini one that I painted teal green and a bigger one that I painted blue and black. There were a lot of cool looking pumpkins that other kids painted. :) I hope we can do other art projects that are similar to this one! :)" ~Courtney N., 7th Grade

To check out more photos from today, view our Picasa Album!

Pinhole Fun at the UH Photo Lab

2010-10-23T15:25:00.011-10:00

Our photo program provided our youth with a really unique experience this month. At the club, Sandra helped our youth create pinhole cameras out of shoe boxes! We made the boxes completely light-tight by taping all of the edges. We also spray painted the insides black so that there wouldn't be any light reflection inside the box. Then we made apertures with pinholes on pieces of heavy-duty foil. After two program sessions of preparation, the shoe boxes were ready for the trip to the UH photo lab.

The lab supervisor Mike gave us a tour of the photo lab, including the film developing room, the darkroom with the enlargers and trays for developing photos, and the room with all of the drying racks. He also showed us some unique photographs and cameras too. When we were in the darkroom at the photo lab, we were able to load the cameras with a sheet of light-sensitive photographic paper and then we used the cameras to take photos on the UH Manoa campus.

Alvin M., 8th Grade, took this photo of a tree in the morning light.
The image on the left is the negative and the positive is shown on the right.

The youth then went back to the lab to see their photographs appear in the developing tray. The photos they made were actually "negatives," so they had to turn them into a positive by reprinting them over another sheet of paper. After this part, the youth then used plants they found outside to make photograms. Basically, for a photogram, youth placed objects on top of the light sensitive paper and then exposed the paper with the enlarger. The objects blocked the light from hitting parts of the paper, making interesting white shapes on a black background.

Sharlene T., 7th Grade, created this simple but elegant photogram.

Thank you to Mike and all of the other helpers at the UH Manoa Photo Lab for making this field trip possible!

Speak Out for Military Kids Premier!

2010-10-21T06:35:00.013-10:00

This Wednesday we hosted a small premier at the Aliamanu BGCH Media Lab for our Operation: Military Kids Speak Out for Military Kids media project. Several representatives from OMK made the effort to stop by after work to view the film that the youth had worked on for a week to create, as well as the some of the youth from the film and their families. It was really special because it was the first time that the youth had seen the completed project as well!

BGCH staff commented that the film brought tears to their eyes as they saw the youth being very honest on film, but also having a lot of fun together.

OMK representatives noted that it seemed like the youth had known each other for years the way they interacted on camera, but really they had just become so close throughout the project.

What I thought was most remarkable about the film was that even though the youth all spoke to the challenges and obstacles of being a military youth, it was evident that they are all well-adjusted and happy children. Hearing the youth share their stories helped me to see how much we adults really do have to learn from our kids, if we only take the time to listen.

SOMK Staff Jennifer, Brianna B., Courtney N., BGCH Media Mentor Franz, Aleigha B. and Zackary H. posed at the premier and then insisted on a silly picture!

Please enjoy viewing the film and pass the link on to others so that they, too, can hear the message that these talented youth have to share!

~Natalie, Program Director

Speak Out Military Kids - Aliamanu BGCH from Franz Schmutzer on Vimeo.

Ice Palace Extravaganza!

2010-10-20T08:13:00.006-10:00

Courtney, our youth who loves to Blog, had a great time at the Ice Palace this past weekend:

"I had soooo much fun at the Ice Palace! In Boys and Girls Club, if we recruited a friend to join (and they came at least twice a week), we and our friend got to go to Ice Palace for FREE! Everybody that went had a blast. We skated and played games, played ice tag and we ate. I hope we can do something like this again (maybe next time Wet 'n Wild). Also, they had a media crew that took a lot of pictures and videos. They interviewed the people who came and stuff like that! Can't wait for the next field trip!"

Zeren M., 7th grade, was one of the many youth who had some hands-on experience handling the HD camcorder. "Ice palace was AWESOME!!! Skating there is so cool! And the media program took interviews and it was fun!"

Kevin C., a 7th grader who participates in the photography program, used his knowledge of composition and framing to take this great shot with the club's new digital SLR camera. He was really able to capture Zeren's concentration as she was filming the interviews and he gave us an interesting perspective of what it's like to be in front of the camera. He also skillfully eliminated background distractions by using a creative angle while capturing the shot. Great job Kevin!

To check out more photos from the event, you can view our album at Picasa.

BGCH Supports AMS Volleyball!

2010-10-16T14:54:00.003-10:00

This Saturday was the first volleyball game of the season for Aliamanu Middle School. Even though our club doesn't have an athletics department and its own team, we have a lot of members that are part of the school volleyball team. Since the BGCH supports our youth finding positive activities to encourage their development, I thought it was important to be there to cheer them on for their first game and to get some action shots (click the link for more pictures) of them during the games!

The Panthers put up quite a fight against the Wahiawa Lancers! I was completely impressed with the way both the boys' and girls' teams played. There were people with some powerhouse serves, awesome sets and even better hits! And it was great to hear everyone encouraging their teammates to try their best and work hard together.

Great job to all of the AMS volleyball players and especially those from the Boys & Girls Club!! Good luck in the upcoming season!

Awesome spike by Jamal!

Great serves Michelle!

Teaching Tolerance

2010-10-12T18:40:00.003-10:00

Our members in the BlogSpot program at Aliamanu today discussed how to teach tolerance for gay youth in our schools and communities. The topic was brought up in light of the recent surge of young suicides around the nation due to bullying of gay youth. Although the BGCH does not support any particular political agenda, we do believe that it is important for all youth of any race, sex, gender, ethnicity, nationality and sexual orientation to feel safe and welcome in their communities. And since most of the cruelty that gay youth experience is actually from their peers, we felt the need to educate our youth about tolerance and acceptance of other diverse children.

It was encouraging to see our youth sharing ideas and being honest about the experience of gay youth in schools, as well as brainstorming ways to inspire others to become more tolerant of their classmates.

Shaqera W. and Carla T., both 8th graders, collaborated on their blog to come up with some useful insights:
"If I were to talk to a guy or girl that was being bullied for his or her sexual orientation, some things that I would tell him or her is that...it's okay to be gay, straight, lesbian or bisexual. And the reason is because we are all people and we are all different in many ways, and it shouldn't matter because we were all put on this earth together so we should all love each other." They also felt that it wasn't fair to judge people because you probably don't know the person well enough to judge them just based on what you've heard about them.

Jamal O., a 7th grader, had some helpful advice to youth who may be bullied. He said that "if you are being teased just ignore it and keep on walking because being different is really fun and exciting! So keep on being happy!"

And Kylar S. and Zack H., both 7th graders, shared that they think "it's alright to be gay" and "if you are gay you don't have to feel different from others." They said that "it's okay who you like whether it is a boy or a girl. The reason people like another person is because they make you feel good inside."

Their reflections are aimed to help other people see that gay youth are really kids just like anyone else and they deserve to be treated with respect. What matters about a person is not their sexual orientation, but rather their personality and how they treat others.

Restoring the He'eia Fish Pond

2010-10-12T18:25:00.004-10:00

On Saturday the Aliamanu & Spalding LITs headed up to the Windward side of the island to help restore the historic He'eia Fish Pond. After gearing up in gym shoes and walking across the slippery path, they made it to the other side of the stone wall that they were working to restore. Our teens worked alongside UH students and Kamehameha alumni, helping lift heavy stones from one end to the other.

It was great to see them working with the college students to accomplish a common goal. After we finished our work, He'eia treated us to some ono eats and said a special Hawaiian prayer to thank us for our help.

Radford Homecoming Fundraiser

2010-10-06T17:27:00.006-10:00

Our second fundraiser at Radford was another success! We raised even more money than the last time, selling plenty of cookies, brownies, Rice Krispy treats and more. A big thanks to our LITs who worked hard, selling treats throughout the stands. We also had a customized photo booth background created by Kenny, a staff at the Spalding Clubhouse, featuring "Radford" scrawled across the top and a ram below it. Students had fun with all the different props and signs, creating lasting memories with their friends!

Kawehi was one of our LITs that helped out that night...but she doesn't give herself enough credit because she's worth way more than a dollar!

I want to give a big shout out to my awesome program assistants who dedicated their time and energy to supply baked goods (in addition to the parents) and hang out with me all Friday night to run the booth. Thanks so much Bri and Dani!

LITs & CARE - Unite!

2010-10-06T17:09:00.009-10:00

Hey this is Courtney and today I am going to talk about our beach cleanup day at Ala Moana Beach Park last week. It might sound boring, but I assure you that it was a lot of fun. We did it for an L.I.T. (Leaders in Training) and C.A.R.E. program field trip. We cleaned up the beach for about half an hour. The weirdest thing that I think we found was a deck of cards that was under a tree protector. We found a lot of napkins and plastic too. Most of the garbage there was from parties. Oh, it was kinda funny Mr.Rob climbed down the rocks and got a plastic box thingy and there was still cookies or some unknown thing inside. After we were done cleaning up, we all played around in the water and hit the volleyball around. Everybody was trying to be a ball hog and float on it and ask where it was, just because they had it.... That was hilarious! I am glad that we cleaned up the beach and I can't wait till we can do something like that again!!!!!! :)
~Courtney N., 7th Grade

Operation: Military Kids

2010-09-29T07:56:00.004-10:00

A group of military youth in our clubhouse have been participating in a special media project in conjunction with Hawaii's Operation: Military Kids. On Friday we had a wonderful volunteer, Jen, lead the group in a "Speak Out for Military Kids" session to get them thinking about what it means to be a military kid. The youth are now taking what they learned from those discussions and activities and creating a movie for other military youth as well as professionals in the military to share their thoughts with others! Part of the video will include clips of drawings and pieces of advice that the youth felt would benefit other military kids, which I'd like to share here:

"Be what you want to be." ~Aleigha

"Go with the flow." ~Kylar

"Write a letter and stay in touch." ~Sheldon

"Follow your dreams...never give up...and never say never!" ~Maria

"Be yourself." ~Courtney

"Don't be shy." ~Brianna

Stay tuned for when we post the final video so you can see how everything ties together in the end!

~Natalie, Program Director

BGCH Cheers on UH Wahine Volleyball

2010-09-21T19:35:00.003-10:00

The Oahu BGCH was given free tickets to the UH Wahine Volleyball game on Saturday evening at the Stan Sheriff Center. Five of our Aliamanu youth joined the other clubhouses to cheer on the Rainbows as they took on BYU and won all three matches. For Natalie, the best part was seeing the five members spend time together and get to know each other in ways they hadn't before at the clubhouse after school. Also, some of the youth took turns using the clubhouse camera to capture some sports photographs! Courtney snapped this awesome shot!

Enjoy the following accounts of the game!

"Hey. This is Courtney. I am going to write about the experience at the volleyball game. It was UH against BYU. When we got there we found our seats and then went and got snacks. After that we came back and watched the game. UH won all three of them! They threw volleyballs, dropped money, and BLASTED tee shirts! (We didn't catch anything though.) Also they played a game called Bunches and the two winners got $100 gift cards! They are lucky, wish that was me. Then we went back to the clubhouse and got picked up. I had an awesome time and I think everybody else did too!"
~Courtney N., 7th Grade

"Going to the UH game was fun because I got to watch UH win and I got awesome pictures of the game and of my friends. Also, the garlic fries and brownie that Courtney bought were really good. Though there was a lot of garlic that me and Natalie didn't finish! But the best part of the game was when UH won, even though we didn't get any prizes."
~Shantae D., 8th Grade

"The field trip to the volleyball game was cool. They cheerleaders were throwing all kinds of cool things. There was a balloon from Jack in the Box dropping money. The UH team won the game, they were good. I liked the game and I would do that again!"
~Dominic D., 8th Grade

LITs Get Their Hands Dirty at Hanauma Bay

2010-09-21T19:09:00.026-10:00

On September 18th, which was a beautiful Saturday, starting at 8:00am in the morning, me (Huni), Justice, Alvin, Shantae, Nat, Rob, James, Nick, Clement and Jake went on a wonderful field trip for the LITs to Hanauma Bay. When we arrived at Hanauma Bay, this nice young lady that works there started guiding us around. She introduced us to Hanauma Bay and brought us inside. She showed us an awesome video about the fantastic ocean. Then she started talking about the types of fish they have, and showed us some amazing fish bones and a huge turtle shell. After we had to go and help our native plants of Hawaii by pulling the other plants from other places. The reason why we were pulling other plants is because it is out growing our native plants. Next we walked down to the cool, refreshing ocean. We played some fun games like "Tag," "Animal or Vegetable?" and "Never Have I Ever."

~Huni P., 8th Grade

Taking on Manoa Falls...

2010-09-21T18:43:00.011-10:00

On Friday the PhotoShoot! program geared up for the Manoa Falls hike to get some exposure to nature photography. Charles, a 7th grader, wrote about the field trip. "My favorite part of going on the field trip was looking at the waterfall. I took pictures of bushes, trees and plants. I liked the field trip, but the bad part is that my shoes got muddy and dirty. It took so long to go where the waterfall was--an hour!" Justice agreed that both the ground and all the rocks were really muddy, and it made the hike a bit challenging. But he enjoyed looking at the scenery and taking photographs. Justice remembered that "there were stairs that looked like the Great Wall of China and there was a spot that looked like a door that led into a fantasy." Guided by photography volunteer Sandra, media mentor Franz and program director Natalie, the 9 youth explored the forest and learned different photography skills like taking focused pictures and even experimenting with depth of field! The youth took turns using the club's new Digital SLR camera as well. The youth will have a chance to share their photographs at the year-end media festival which will feature a photography gallery. Franz also gathered video footage of the event as well to document the trip and will later make a montage using the youth's photographs.

"Voice for the Animals" Media Project

2010-09-21T18:24:00.004-10:00

Last Wednesday we made a special visit to the Hawaiian Humane Society to shoot footage for our "Voice for the Animals" media project. The HHS is hosting a language arts competition that encourages youth to speak their mind and share their thoughts on animals rights. Our youth are working together to make a short film to teach others how to adopt stray animals. The HHS was gracious enough to let us come shoot on their grounds and even lent us a few volunteers and animals to star in our film. Esther, one of the youth who acted in some parts of the movie and filmed other parts, shared that she liked working with the different kinds of animals, especially the dogs! "I liked how we got to shoot scenes and actually touch them!" When the video is completely edited, we'll be sharing the footage online, so stay posted!

A Place I've Never Been...

2010-09-14T17:47:00.003-10:00

Today's Blogger Battle topic asked the youth to get creative and share a story about a place they've never been (much trickier than writing about a place they have been!)

The place I have never been, but I want to go is Paris because I like the nice lights and the nice bright bridge and the beautiful view. I want to go to Paris also because I want to experience the people living there and the type of stores (shopping)! But the one thing I want to go there for is to stand on the highest building in Paris and watch the beautiful night sky and the bright lights and wonderful peaceful music. That's my major goal to go to Paris...also I want to try the amazing food! Mmmmm...good! :) I love Paris!

~Esther S., 7th Grade

We All Scream for Ice Scream!

2010-09-14T17:40:00.004-10:00

Aliamanu Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii Video Blogs - Ice Cream! from Franz Schmutzer on Vimeo.

So we finally got last week's Ice Cream Blog edited and ready to share on our website. Please enjoy the very first video blog we've ever made! Basically by doing this activity it allowed the youth to get comfortable talking on camera, helped them to learn from experience about camera angles and positioning and gave them a chance to have some FUN in the media center!
~Natalie, Program Director

**If you're having trouble viewing the video, make sure the HD setting is turned off (white, not blue HD letters).

Our Bake Sale Was a Success!!

2010-09-11T17:25:00.010-10:00

Since we did a modified blog this week, a video blog, it's taking a little longer to post. In the meantime, I wanted to take a minute to write about our fundraiser that we had last night at the Radford Football game. We were fortunate enough that Radford Athletic Director Kelly Sur was willing to let us set up our photo booth and sell baked goods at the games. We were even luckier that the Junior ROTC helped us unload all of our supplies (including a very heavy background panel for the photo booth)! We weren't sure what to expect, but before we were even finished setting up, we had plenty of customers. Students and parents alike were lining up to enjoy all sorts of baked goodies that were donated by the parents of our Aliamanu members and the staff as well. We sold Rice Krispie treats, cookies, brownies, mini blueberry-banana pie cups, chocolate covered pretzels, Puppy Chow and Chex Mix, and my personal favorite, Krispy Sushi! One of our creative parents designed little "sushi" rolls with rice krispies, fruit roll ups and Swedish Fish.

We had 6 Leaders in Training helping us to sell goods by walking through the stands with their hands full of treats and drinks. Additionally, other Aliamanu Middle School students joined the group to support our efforts! It was great to see them all working together and having fun at the game, raising money for their favorite after-school spot!

In addition to selling treats, we set up our photo booth and encouraged youth to grab all their friends and take photos with their friends. It was a huge hit this time and I was busy all night snapping shots of teens having a blast! If you want to check out all the photos, take a look at our album. We're looking forward to returning to Radford on Friday October 1st for the Homecoming Game!

~Natalie, Program Director

The Chinatown Photo Field Trip

2010-09-01T18:20:00.003-10:00

On my field trip to Chinatown we had to take pictures of interesting things. We also got a treasure hunt list. It was really fun. I enjoyed my time there. Some things that were on our list is: bare feet, a flag, your favorite color, things that make us uncomfortable, an abandoned/damaged building, wind, food, a puddle, toys, crying kids, etc. Some pictures that we took were funny/hilarious! We saw a lot of different/cool things. Who knew Chinatown could be so fun? And awesome! There was also some egh/gross stuff over there. Like we saw a lot of dead/raw pigs! Awww! Poor pigs! And Chinatown's food looks mmm/delicious! Ah, I had a wonderful time!

~Huni P., 8th Grade

Where Did August Go?

2010-09-01T17:56:00.009-10:00

I can't believe it's already September! But you know what they say...time flies when you're having FUN! We've had lots of fun at the club this past month...and the last few days didn't disappoint. On Friday we took the photography group on their first photo excursion to Chinatown. Huni wrote a fantastic blog that I will post separately describing the trip! After Chinatown, I took another group of youth to the Spalding Clubhouse teen dance. Although there weren't as many youth as we had expected, we still managed to have a lot of fun with the teens that were there. Aliamanu operated a photo booth that was just as fun for the staff as it was for the kids!

And then yesterday, Rob & I took 8 LITs to Target to study gender stereotypes. The boys and the girls broke into two teams to take photographs of products that are marketed towards men and women. We used the photos as a discussion tool and it helped the teens to discover different social rules. For example, they realized women are able to be more flexible on the scale between femininity and masculinity, while the rules for men are much more rigid. The girls' group got really into the project and even went so far as to try on a few outfits. Check out the photographs for yourself!

All in all, I think our first month was a huge success and I'm confident that the rest of the year will only get better!

~Natalie Pawluk Moore, Program Director

The Humane Society

2010-08-25T06:50:00.003-10:00

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

2010-08-25T06:46:00.003-10:00

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...

2010-08-17T20:03:00.002-10:00

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...

2010-08-10T18:52:00.000-10:00

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...

2010-08-10T18:50:00.001-10:00

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

2010-08-10T18:40:00.007-10:00

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!

2010-08-10T18:28:00.005-10:00

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...

2010-08-03T23:00:00.002-10:00

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!

2010-08-03T22:47:00.002-10:00

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