THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	132
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT HILO TO ESTABLISH A FORMAL ASSOCIATION WITH THE RISE 21ST CENTURY AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM.

     WHEREAS, RISE 21st Century After School Program in Keaukaha/Panaewa Hawaiian Homes Communities is a private program targeting disadvantaged youth between the ages of eight and eighteen; and

     WHEREAS, the program was created by a high school teacher at Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo Hawaiian Immersion Public Charter School; and

     WHEREAS, RISE stands for "Revealing Individual Strengths for Excellence" and is symbolic of how the community desires to see growth in its youth; and

     WHEREAS, the mission of the RISE 21st Century After School Program is to serve as a community resource for underprivileged, Native Hawaiian youth ages twelve to seventeen in the Hilo district; and

     WHEREAS, the key objectives of the RISE 21st Century After School Program are as follows:

     (1)  To reveal the strengths and passions of youth  participants to contribute toward overall student engagement and confidence;

     (2)  To help youth participants develop Individual Student Success Plans to track monthly goals and expectations and to contribute toward building responsible, respectful, and reliable students;

     (3)  To provide individual mentoring for encouragement, motivation, and self-esteem and to increase knowledge of future career and academic paths; and

     (4)  To implement Hawaiian cultural practices such as the art of lua (balance discipline) and hoe wa‘a (canoe paddling) to teach values and encourage discipline, balance, and leadership for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being; and

     WHEREAS, RISE 21st Century After School Program gives disadvantaged youth a better chance of succeeding in college while being mentored in particular areas of challenge in their lives, most commonly as a result of dysfunctional family relationships and other social issues resulting from a lack of educational resources and poverty; and

     WHEREAS, a formal association between the RISE 21st Century After School Program and the University of Hawaii at Hilo would serve as a permanent bridge between the Keaukaha/Panaewa Hawaiian Homes communities and the University of Hawaii at Hilo; and

     WHEREAS, an association between the University of Hawaii at Hilo and RISE 21st Century After School Program would also enhance and improve the academic programs at the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus by incorporating the principle that learning is not fixed to a specific geographic locale of the campus but permeates the community it serves and vice versa; and

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii at Hilo has many programs that hold the potential to benefit from an association with the RISE 21st Century After School Program, such as the Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, Ka Haka Ula ‘O Ke‘elikolani Hawaiian Language College, College of Agriculture, counseling psychology, and future engineering programs planned for the Hilo campus, all of which provide opportunities for program partnerships and internships; and

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii at Hilo has other community engagement programs on the Big Island such as the Community College Education Center in West Hawaii, North Hawaii Education Center in Honokaa, and the Pacific Coastal Resources in Keaukaha; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University Of Hawaii at Hilo is requested to establish a formal association with the RISE 21st Century After School Program; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii at Hilo is requested to establish the Keaukaha/Panaewa Hawaiian Homes after school program known as RISE (Revealing Individual Strengths for Excellence) to be coordinated by the University of Hawaii at Hilo 'Imiloa Astronomy Education Center administration as an outreach to the Keaukaha and Panaewa areas and designed to provide early preparation for entry into the Hawaii Community College and baccalaureate programs at the University of Hawaii at Hilo; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo and RISE 21st Century After School Program.

Report Title: 

UH Hilo; R.I.S.E. Program