Kaua`i is our home.
We love the aina. We love our ohana. Our kupuna. And we love our kids. All of them.
That is what makes our home so special. Because Kaua`i’s kids are your kids. And they are our kids. For generations, our community has surrounded our young people with aloha. Yet today we are pressed for time, working hard to put food on the table, distracted by cell phones that demand our attention 24/7. Too many of our young people are slipping further back in line for our attention.
We need to change that.
Although Kaua`i is a beautiful place to live, it is not paradise for everyone.
Some of our teens and pre-teens grapple with negative thoughts and feelings.The good news is that having simple support from a caring adult (family, friend, neighbor, teacher, etc.) helps to protect our youth from despair.
You can be that lifesaver.
That one person who makes all the difference.
If all adults on Kaua`i made a pledge to open up and interact more with our young people, despair would no longer find a home on Kaua`i. By living more aloha we would likely see a significant drop in self-harm, drug and alcohol use, and bullying.