Hui Malama Learning Center

“Board president and finance committee chair will act as designees to review and make recommendations to the board for approval. A copy is distributed to the board members prior to its filing.”

“The conflict of interest policy is regulary and consistently monitored and enforced for compliance. Board members and officers are required to complete a disclosure statement at the annual meeting. Any conflict is required to be disclosed at a board meeting and the discussion is reflected in the minutes. The board member shall refrain from participating in an decision related to a disclosed interest unless authorized to do so by the board.”

“In conjunction with the executive committee's annual executive director performance review, the committee performs an analysis of national and local executive director compensation levels for comparable organizations (similar size, programs, budget, etc). This analysis, along with the organization's budget, is used in determining the executive director's salary. The committee then recommends it to the board of directors for approval. The executive director uses similar procedures and analysis to set employee salary levels which must fit into the organization's annual budget for review and approval by the board of directors.”

“All documents are located at the organization's office and are available by request. A copy of the tax return is available at guidestar.”

“To inspire, nurture, and empower youth to pursue careers that bolster our islands' economy, increase self-reliance, and provide for future generations. Emphasizing experiential learning and youth engagement strategies that develop the whole person, hui malama cultivates participant's unique talents, intelligences and character. Through a social-entrepreneurial approach and leveraging resources through partnerships, hui malama demonstrates a non-profit social impact model that is organizationally sound, fiscally responsible and sustainable.”

“Ever-growing diversity of needs articulated by maui community members. Hui malama began as a center for teen mothers, and subsequently expanded its services for all ages. In 2006, hui malama turned its focus to include all maui youth ages 11 to 24. Some participants experience difficulty succeeding due to homelessness or abusive households. Some students come to hui malama from the public school system after encounters with school disciplinary procedures, family court, or juvenile justice proceedings. Referrals are made to hui malama to provide intensive supplemental and support services. Hui malama utilizes the desire and objective of obtaining a diploma through a public high school or the community school for adults not only as a necessary step in personal growth and skill building, but also to establish a path for the at-risk youth to discover their individual potential for success. By providing positive examples, hui malama changes the poor habits and behaviors of participants to establish a foundation upon which youth may return to the public school setting or obtain their ged diploma and gain employment or related training. Hui malama transforms maui's at-risk youth into thriving community members with the ability to adapt, grow and excel in their personal and career journey, to do this, hui malama focuses on rebuilding the person - a "being" that can serve as the foundation for learning and doing the necessary things for an enriching life as a positive family, workplace, and community contributor. Hui malama is the only organization in maui county that addresses the critical needs of a diverse range of youth to enable them to be successful in traditional education and employment environments. Hui malama thrives on diversity and personalization. Every one of the youth who has sought our services over the past two years has had previous home, community, school, and life challenges, and lacked structure, guidance and support needed to realize success. Hui malama's enrichment program serves youth with the highest needs. About 90% of the youth at hui malama have learning, emotional, cognitive, social, or physical issues that have not been identified or properly addressed in other school settings. Between 50%-70% of our youth have been displaced or living in unstable living conditions due to parental discord, abuse or violence at home or school, chronic health or mental health issues, or some extreme traumatic event related to a trusted caregiver or school official. Hui malama prioritizes services to participants who have nowhere else to go due to their highly negative experiences during elementary and middle school years, high absenteeism from school due to being 3-6 years behind their grade level and/or highly complicated personal and family situations. Going beyond just the delivery of content, programs, and activities, hui malama does whatever it takes to re-integrate participants into the community and workplace using a holistic and integrated approach.”

“Around varied experiences including: whole foods nutrition program, culinary arts, and garden; career development and work force preparedness classes/excursions; careers in science and natural resource/cultural management; compassion and character development. Hui malama's whole foods nutrition program is the core of hui malama's enrichment programs. Through the whole foods nutrition program, youth realize improved academic performance and increased work and life skills. The whole foods nutrition program provides participants with free breakfast, snack and lunch each day to prepare them for a day of learning and high performance. The hui malama youth participate in the planning, preparation and cleanup of their meals, and practice table manners and etiquette. Simultaneously, participants learn about nutrition, budgeting, and environmental sustainability, so that they can analyze the costs and benefits of locally grown food versus imported food from a financial, social, cultural, health and environmental perspectives. Participants also plan, develop and maintain the agency garden to produce vegetables and fruit for their meals. They also build on their experiences by visiting local growers and identifying where locally grown food can be purchased. In workforce readiness and character development activities, participants learn how to listen, observe and follow directions, dress appropriately, arrive at work prepared, show initiative and discipline, deal with conflict, and manage disappointment while never giving up. They are also able to meet and talk with members of the maui community who represent a wide range of occupations and are provided with opportunities to participate in job shadowing mentorships. The goal of the employer mentor program is to recruit employer mentors who provide our youth with knowledge and insight into tomorrow's workforce. The goal for our participants is to have achieved academic success, increased communication skills, improved peer/family relationships, and improved self-confidence as a result of being involved in our employer mentor program. We also partner with maui business leaders and community members to create community venues to highlight hui malama in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (stem) as they relate to sustainable living on maui. In addition, the program aims to share knowledge with maui's community about sustainable living and hui malama's programming through community venues. The ultimate goal of the employer mentor program would be to place our participant in an entry level job.”

“Values-driven environment where they feel safe and valued. These experiences of doing and learning empower our youth by building foundations through which they acquire knowledge and skills that they are later able to apply to other aspects of their lives. Working with others to achieve success, inspires participants to continue building their unique strengths so they may realize their potential and thrive in adulthood. With a solid foundation of an aloha mindset, motivation, integrity and habits of mind, participants are inspired to explore different careers that can contribute to maui's social, cultural, economic, and environmental health for future generations. Our overarching goal is to build caring, compassionate, disciplined individuals who will be valuable contributors at home, at school, at work and in the community. We strive to ensure that each participant seeks ongoing improvement and growth in work and in life through developing and understanding an appreciation of the aloha spirit as defined by hawaii revised statutes 5-7.5 (the coordination of mind and heart, which "brings each person to the self- and allows each person to think and emote good feelings to others). After participating in hui malama's services, participants show improvement in the following areas: ability to understand and honor perspectives that conflict with their own; increased ability to regulate their emotions and express their disappointment in a socially acceptable and respectful way; increased accountability; taking direction without challenging, criticizing, evading, ignoring authority; exhibiting appropriate physical space and interactions within a professional context; proper etiquette (addressing people properly in word, tone, gesture). The aloha spirit is a powerful tool within our community for directing and motivating positive change and development for participants.”