I couldn’t believe my mentors trusted ME to be a mentor. I took care of my kid really good. I wanted to make the mentors proud of me and I think I did. No one really trusted me like that before. It feels really good.” ~ Hydro
Community Service: Mentees Become Mentors
All Spirit Sessions youth learn to mentor elementary school age at-risk youth in “Surf for the Soul” events conducted in partnership with Kids Hurt Too and Hawai’i Foster Youth Coalition. Our youth also work with young autistic youth from Creative Connections.
Rewarded with hugs and adoration from their young mentees, our teens gain greater self-esteem and a sense of purpose as they learn to give back to our community. Many ask to return to future events.
This was really good. I didn’t think I could do it, but I did. I actually helped someone.
And it feels good. I want to do it again.” ~Davin
I learned I can help others and I have more understanding about disabilities.
I feel lucky. I’m proud that I could help.” ~ Kahele
Malama Aina: Taking Care
of Our Place
Every session ends with beach clean up. All recyclable materials found on the beach are sorted out and cigarette butts are collected and counted. Why Cigarette butts?
We teach our youth how toxic cigarette butts are to the environment and how they can harm wildlife. In particular, endangered honu (sea turtles) often mistake floating cigarette butts for food. Unable to digest and pass them, toxins leech out into their system and if a turtle eats too many it can kill them.
Junior Mentors count the butts collected to show how small actions add up to see how many turtles we may have saved. Many youth are inspired to quite smoking and many more make malama aina a regular part of their life. In turn they teach others what they have learned and help rally others to taking care of our beautiful and precious home.
I know that the reef is alive and it’s getting killed by pollution.” ~Taylor
People should care about things in the ocean because fishes live in the ocean,
and people swim inside, and if you’re careless bad things could happen.”
~Sarah
