Team-Building at Kīhei Youth Center

Catherine , ,

A sunny afternoon at the Kīhei Youth Center touched hearts and buoyed spirits as 210 visitors to Maui worked, learned, laughed and impacted the lives of 90 young people through an interactive team-building and corporate social responsibility program.  What these people did was amazing.  Why they choose to do so even more so.  The often heard comment from the keiki (kids) at the Kīhei Youth Center was “why are they doing this for us, why do they care?”

The 210 volunteer participants were divided into (7) teams. Each team was identified with a colored silicone bracelet, embossed with a Hawaiian value:

Mālama ~ caring for one another and the environment

‘Ohana ~ family and communityKūpono – honestyPono – balanced righteousness

Lōkahi ~ harmony, unity, collaborationHa‘aha‘a – humility and respect

Kuleana ~ responsibility and accountability

So … here’s what they did:
  • Cleaned the Kīhei Youth Center – restrooms, classrooms, meeting rooms, playground
  • Cleaned & reorganized the snack shop and pantry, organized and decorated (20) Heavy Duty Food and Supply storage containers, unpacked and assembled (3) Heavy Duty shelving units, purchased, delivered, unpacked, and organized snack shop and pantry food items
  • Learned how and made (120) tī leaf lei and (160) healthy snack lei to be used for fundraising• Traveled to a sporting goods outlet to purchase recreational equipment – sports balls, ball pumps, needles, jump ropes, mesh storage bags –and healthy, interactive video game system (Wii) and games
  • Participated in an interactive discussion into Hawaiian youth health issues, concerns and causes, primarily juvenile diabetes
  • Learned how and made healthy snacks – i.e. – sugarless pudding and Healthy Trail Mix snack packs• Creating (140) school supply backpacks to be distributed in the community, each with a personalized, hand-written note of encouragement to the school supply backpack recipient• Participated in an interactive discussion about traditional Hawaiian cultural values and beliefs
  • Learned how to dance the hula and made (200) hula instructional booklets.

To paraphrase a traditional saying “we are all blessed when we give and receive.”