Teen Days are celebrations for youth that provide current and former foster youth an opportunity to hear inspiring, motivational stories that come from young adults who were once at-risk youth, meet other foster youth and learn about community resources that can help them as they begin planning a bright future. Many Teen Days also include a mock hearing to prepare youth for attending their court hearings and allows them to meet and talk with Family Court judges.
Teen Days began in 2010 on Oahu as a project of the Judiciary’s Standing Committee on Children in Family Court. Teen Days are now held on Neighbor Island, too. They are modeled after Oahu’s Teen Day, however each island’s event is unique to its location and are projects of the Hawai’i Youth Opportunities Initiative (HYOI) Hawai’i Helping Our People Envision Success (HI H.O.P.E.S.) Youth Leadership Board (YLB).
Foster youth receive gift cards, prizes and more importantly, information regarding programs that offer support in many areas. Good food is always served and door prizes are announced throughout the celebration, with a grand prize awarded at the conclusion of each event.
Youth’s resource caregivers, CWS workers, and GALs/CASA are invited to ALL Teen Days. This helps youth allies understand the importance of youth attending their hearings, know more about resources available to youth and to understand needs of youth as they prepare for adulthood. So, don’t delay – register your Youth and yourself today!
Details of Upcoming Teen Days:
Oahu: Teen Day XII: Dream4Real
• Friday, December 18, 2015
• 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
• Ronald T.Y. Moon Kapolei Courthouse
• Open to Youth age 14 to 17 in foster care, legal guardian ship or who have been adopted from foster care
• To register, download flyer with registration form by clicking here or contact youth’s social worker, GAL or CASA. Call Judith at 808-540-2543 for more info.
Kona: Teen Day II: Applications to Success
• Tuesday, December 22, 2015
• 10 AM to 2 PM
• Location: TBD
• Open to Youth ages 14 to 21 currently or formerly in foster care or legal guardianship and to youth adopted from CWS
• To register, contact Sharla-Ann Fujimoto at 808.936.4399 or sfujimoto@epicohana.org. We will post a flyer with more info as soon as it is available.
Youth will learn about Imua Kākou, how to apply for jobs, have a talk story session with local business owners / managers of stores around town, and be introduced to valuable resources they can utilize in our community when they are preparing for the world of work.
Maui: Teen Day
• Monday, January 4, 2016
• 11 AM- 4 PM
• Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center
• Open to Youth ages 14 to 21 currently or formerly in foster care or legal guardianship and to youth adopted from CWS.
• To register, click on this link for registration forms: Maui.Teen.Day or contact Paula Higuchi at 808-242-4363 or paulah@bgcmaui.org.
Youth will learn about their rights as a foster youth, new laws that affect them, programs that that can provide scholarships as well as be able to meet face to face with the Honorable Keith Tanaka, Maui’s family court judge.
