Humanity Hale, a nonprofit in Kona, will launch a series of programs this summer designed to help youth who have experienced trauma learn how to move forward.
Their goal? Creating warriors, not victims.
“Hopefully, if they see other youth going through the same thing, that’ll help,” said Charis Higginson, founder of Humanity Hale. “A lot of these kids have been sexually abused or live on the streets. This will be something for them to step out of their traumas.”
The free 12-week program “Happy Hearts, Healing Arts” will take place from June 11 to Aug. 27 and resume again Sept. 17. So far, 18 kids signed up, and the program is capable of working with upward of 50 participants.
“We want kids to know they’re loved and taken care of. We don’t want to create another generation of individuals to learn from abuse. If they’ve been sexually abused they might turn to drugs and alcohol. From my experience, I’ve seen that happen to too many kids. They never had a way to talk to anyone. They didn’t know peers were going through the same thing,” Higginson said. “We want these kids to know they have peers, they have a new source to connect with and keep each other strong.”
The summer series will consist of five different programs designed to build-up survivors. They are Hawaiian Arts, Art Therapy, Individual and Group Therapy, Life Skills, Abuse Prevention and Diversity Training.
The Hawaiian Arts program is designed to awaken/strengthen mentees connection to the Hawaiian culture through spoken Hawaiian language and the art of Hula. Art Therapy is a key program in releasing trauma and trapped emotions. Individual and Group Therapy Program will address many of the behavioral outcomes present in underserved youth. The Life Skills Program will provide mentees with a wide variety of life skills and the Abuse Prevention and Diversity Training program will address current issues, break down the ways in which kids are being affected by abuse and retrain the mind to release trauma, accept diversity and prevent cycles of abuse.
More, there will be a crisis counselor available 24/7 for participants.
“There’s something for everyone. For a lot of the kids, it’ll be their only meal for the day,” Higginson said.
In Hawaii, 34.7% women and 24.1% men have experienced domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking in their lifetime, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported. And, 43.5% of Hawaii women have experienced psychological aggression by a partner.
For Higginson, who grew up in Kona, enough is enough.
“I want people to be aware of what’s going on within our community. Some of us are in our own little bubble. There’s the beautiful side of Kona and there’s the side that’s really struggling,” she said. “What affects one of us affects all of us. We want to create the next generation of healed individuals. We don’t want more violence and crime. We want to create members of society that are healthy and strong. We don’t want anymore generational trauma.”
Currently, Higginson is self-funding the program, as well as providing meals and transportation for the kids.
“It’ll happen one way or another,” she noted.
Humanity Hale is also looking for volunteers and mentors, in addition to financial supporters. Details can be at www.humanityhale.org/donatevolunteercontact.html.