Warrior Women of Wai`anae

July/August 2009
From the
Director’s Chair
Aloha kākou,
Our 5th annual
K u p u k u p u
Conference continues to strengthen
families by providing parents and
caregivers the opportunity to learn
strategies from educators, acquire
skills from providers, express their
concerns to other parents, and gain
valuable insight from other parents’
experiences. The Motheread©
program is another opportunity for
parents to learn and apply strategies
that will instill the joy of reading
and develop critical thinking skills
in their child. Since becoming a
certified Motheread© facilitator
in 2002, I’ve conducted over 300
workshops and one of the things
I’ve come to realize is every parent
wants their child to have a better
quality of life than them and they
will do whatever it takes to make
it happen. In the words of Theola
“Ma” Silva, one of the “Warrior
Women of Wai‘anae” honored by
Kamaile Academy at this year’s
conference, you need to “Step up to
the plate!” As parents, that’s what
we do every day. Mahalo to Uncle
Bill Souza for opening the door for
us to service Kamaile Academy.
Mahalo to Kamaile Academy for
hosting our conference. Mahalo
to Keiki O Ka ‘Āina for providing
childcare services for conference
attendees since our 2nd annual
Kupukupu Conference. Mahalo for
allowing us to continue servicing
our communities.
me ka ha‘aha‘a,
Keikilani Meyer
Warrior Women of Wai'anae
5th annual Kupukupu Conference helps community
build self-esteem and family literacy skills
O
n August 21, 2009, Ka
Waihona Puke ‘Ōiwi
held our 5th Annual Kupukupu
Conference
at
Kamaile
Academy in Mākaha. Reaching
over 50 families, the purpose of
this conference is to strengthen
parents’ understanding and
skills through shared knowledge
in their primary role as teacher.
With increased understanding
and skills, parents will establish a strong foundation for academic success
in their keiki, said Interim Director Keikilani Meyer.
At Kamaile Academy’s request, this year’s conference celebrated the
“Wahine Koa o Wai‘anae” or the warrior women of the Leeward Coast who
face numerous challenges in raising their
families. The morning workshops included
information about learning disorders,
higher education opportunities to eliminate
poverty, lessons from addictions, family
literacy skills, domestic violence and
finding one’s inner beauty. After lunch,
Participants enjoyed a spaghetti
lunch as part of the conference.
participants turned their attention
to pampering themselves with
hair and beauty makeovers, new
clothes for work and nutrition
information.
The school is hoping that this
year’s conference will “help to From L to R: Kamaile Academy CEO
Kila, 'Iwalani Tseu, Principal
plant the seeds in our wāhine to Glen
Clarence De Lude and PCNC Pua Gomes.
give fruit to the next generation
and to regenerate families destroyed by drugs,” said Principal Clarence
Delude. “In order to raise a child, you need to revitalize the village, starting
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Design by Kalehua M., NHL
Our purpose is to kōkua Native Hawaiians with access to information and to provide
materials and services that foster reading and lifelong learning.
Hours of Operation: Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. ◊ Central Office: 458 Keawe St., Honolulu, HI 96813 ◊ (808) 535-6700
Ka Waihona Puke ‘Ōiwi
July/August 2009
native hawaiian library
Bringing The Story Home
Kupukupu Conference Continued
Family literacy classes help parents read aloud at home
L
Wai'anae's Mane Attractions provided
hair cuts and styling as part of the afternoon conference sessions.
From Page 1
with the women. That’s the key.”
Some participants felt this was
accomplished. “I felt real love
flow through all of us as sisters,”
said Kamaile Academy PCNC
Pua Gomes. “It empowered us and
gave us common ground to find
something to improve our lives.”
Another participant felt she learned
more about herself at the conference
and was inspired by the stories of
inner strength and determination.
A father of a bi-polar child also
appreciated the presentation by
the Hawaii International Dyslexia
Association. “I sat in the ADHD
workshop and was good,” said
Jonathan. “I got some information
and some good tips, especially with
my boy who is also bi-polar. It gives
me hope.”
Stay tuned for details on next
year’s annual conference.
earning to share books at
home with their children is
just one component of Motheread©
classes, a nationally acclaimed
humanities-based literacy program
for parents or primary childcare
providers. Participants also have the
opportunity to read locally published
books and learn how to
engage their keiki in
these books.
Recently at Kamaile
Academy in Wai‘anae,
three parents worked
with
the
library’s
literacy staff to build
their confidence in
reading aloud and
asking questions to
keep the young readers
interested in the story.
The workshops were
held as part of the
school’s
Summer
Intersession program
offered to students and
parents. The group
read Kūola and Iosepa,
published
by
Nā
Kamalei
Ko‘olauloa
Early Education Program. The story
explains the building process of the
Hawaiian voyaging canoe Iosepa
and its initial sail in Lā‘ie Bay.
Inspired by this story and excited
to try their hand at creating their
own tale, the parents wrote and
illustrated their own story called,
“A Journey To Mākaha’s Surfing
Beach.” The 11-page book is
about a young Wai‘anae girl and
her cousins. The family paddles
a large wa‘a for the first time into
Mākaha’s Surfing Beach. The story
also included input from a young
girl who came with her mom to the
workshop.
“What is really
significant about
this
story
is
that the parents
wrote the story
around her input,”
said
Literacy
Specialist Kawai
Aona-Ueoka.
“The names of
the
characters
are real people
in her life. They
[parents]
were
very
supportive
of the little girl’s
creativity.”
This
activity
is an extension
of the book and
something
the
parents can do at home to make
reading any story relevant to their
own environment in a positive way,
said Aona-Ueoka.
There are many other extension
activities for families. For more
information on Motheread©, please
call the library at 535-1354.