Support and Resources in Times of Tragedy
The past two weeks have been a trying time for our country. Big Brothers Big Sisters grieves alongside the communities of Buffalo, of Uvalde and all of those affected by yesterday’s tragic event. We know that in the wake of tragedy, young people need comfort, support and reassurance to help them feel safe, manage their fears, and recover in a healthy way. As a youth empowerment organization, we care about the emotional well-being of our keiki. Big Brothers Big Sisters is committed to providing support to our young people, their families, our mentors, and communities in this time of need, to pave the way for healing after witnessing such trauma. Our hearts and prayers are with all the victims’ families and loved ones.
Please visit the below for resources of support:
Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event (Child Mind Institute)
Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting (American Psychological Association)
Helping School-age Children With Traumatic Grief: Tips For Caregivers (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, available in English, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian)
The past two weeks have been a trying time for our country. Big Brothers Big Sisters grieves alongside the communities of Buffalo, of Uvalde and all of those affected by yesterday’s tragic event. We know that in the wake of tragedy, young people need comfort, support and reassurance to help them feel safe, manage their fears, and recover in a healthy way. As a youth empowerment organization, we care about the emotional well-being of our keiki. Big Brothers Big Sisters is committed to providing support to our young people, their families, our mentors, and communities in this time of need, to pave the way for healing after witnessing such trauma. Our hearts and prayers are with all the victims’ families and loved ones.
Please visit the below for resources of support:
Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event (Child Mind Institute)
Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting (American Psychological Association)
Helping School-age Children With Traumatic Grief: Tips For Caregivers (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, available in English, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian)
"Since 1964 we’ve referred to our participants as “Bigs” and “Littles.” However, as a youth centered organization we’ve come to realize this practice is outdated and not aligned with our vision. The words we use matter. Calling a child or teenager a “Little” can be embarrassing and limits their potential. Our staff has committed to changing our language and now use youth or mentor. For those of you who have been a part of our organization for years, this new way of referring to youth and mentors will be an adjustment but we ask that you give it try. It’s a meaningful change and recognition that even after 58 years we can still adapt! " -March 2022
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Match of the Year 2022
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Congratulations to Dan and Zach for being our 2022 Match of the Year. Watch our Living808 March video (at left) to learn about their inspiring journey and growth through the years.
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Watch our recent videos on Living808. Courtesy of KHON2 June May April and January 2022.
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Click link to watch Living808, aired in February 2022, features our Tyler Kurashige. Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii honored National Mentoring Month throughout February by hosting community events.
July 2021 marks a new beginning for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA). We have a new National CEO, Artis Stevens, the first African American CEO in BBBSA’s 118-year history. With so much civil unrest across our country caused by discrimination and violence toward minority and marginalized individuals, Artis and his team have developed a movement to help us guide young people to create a more just, equitable, diverse and inclusive world for all people. To that end, Big Brothers Big Sisters is now known as a JEDI organization, which stands for Justice-Equity-Diversity-Inclusion.
BBBSA was created as an alternative to the juvenile justice system with a mission to keep as many young people out of that system as possible. We continue to do that by providing them with one-to-one, professionally supported mentorship. Now, in addition, we’ll coach our mentors to model and discuss what JEDI means and why it’s important that we all work to achieve a more accepting and far less violent community.
BBBSA was created as an alternative to the juvenile justice system with a mission to keep as many young people out of that system as possible. We continue to do that by providing them with one-to-one, professionally supported mentorship. Now, in addition, we’ll coach our mentors to model and discuss what JEDI means and why it’s important that we all work to achieve a more accepting and far less violent community.
After a full 4-days of events and celebration at our Virtual National Conference, we are feeling inspired, renewed and excited! We are ready to continue to amplify our purpose, to inspire youth equity and to empower our Littles to reach their full potential. Below is a video of our Dennis Brown, Inclusion Panelist, amplifying our voices for BBBS Hawaii.
“We as leaders and our employees need to be the first authentic examples. You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. To do that, we’ve got to be educated.” - BBBS of Hawai‘i President and CEO Dennis Brown
After a full 4-days of events and celebration at our Virtual National Conference, we are feeling inspired, renewed and excited! We are ready to continue to amplify our purpose, to inspire youth equity and to empower our Littles to reach their full potential. Below is a video of our Dennis Brown, Inclusion Panelist, amplifying our voices for BBBS Hawaii.
“We as leaders and our employees need to be the first authentic examples. You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. To do that, we’ve got to be educated.” - BBBS of Hawai‘i President and CEO Dennis Brown
Click HERE to read more about Navigating through a pandemic: How Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii continued to help children. 7/26/2021 WATCH VIDEO Courtesy of KHON2.
2021 BBBS Hawaii SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
We’re very happy to announce that we’ve awarded nine scholarships totaling over $20,000 this year. It was the largest pool of scholars and dollars we’ve awarded in the past decade. A huge mahalo to all of the scholarship donors who make it possible for our graduates to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential!
The Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii Scholarship Program awards financial support to a current or former Youth , High School Mentor; or to a current BBBSH employee or their child. Each award helps our recipients further their educational pursuits. Mahalo to Nate Fong, scholarship coordinator and the selection committee for their hard work. Below are the 2021 winners:
When you and your Youth join Girl Scouts, you can start your adventure. Your youth's membership will be provided at no cost through generous support of Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i. Contact join@gshawaii.org for more info.
It's that time of year again! If you're interested in becoming a Holiday Angel and adopting a BBBSH family for the Holidays, please contact Nate at 808-239-9805 / natefong@bbbshawaii.org
Watch the KHON2 coverage of our June 27th Clothing Drive celebrating the reopening of our donation sites and the YMCA here: https://www.khon2.com/coronavirus/clothing-drive-celebrates-re-opening-of-big-brothers-big-sisters-hawaii-donation-sites/
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Did you catch catch us on Hawaii News Now? Our President/CEO Dennis Brown explains how we are continuing to support one-on-one relationships virtually during this time of social distancing:
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2020/04/15/checking-with-big-brothers-big-sisters-ceo-dennis-brown/
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2020/04/15/checking-with-big-brothers-big-sisters-ceo-dennis-brown/
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When Virtual Becomes Reality: A Training for Bigs presented by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui team on April 17, 2020.
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Mentor Eric recently celebrated his Youth Kyan's 8th birthday with a drive-by celebration! Eric coordinated two fire trucks from the Waimea Fire Station to flash their lights, sirens, and blare their horns to catch Kyan's attention. Check out the article in The Garden Island, Kauai's local paper: https://www.thegardenisland.com/2020/04/20/hawaii-news/kylans-covid-birthday/
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Quarantine Survival Workshop presented by Margaret J. Cadiz, Program Coordinator, on April 10, 2020.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an evolving global, national, and statewide issue. The BBBSH leadership team will continue to monitor the situation daily and follow guidance from area health departments and school districts, as well as federal guidance from the CDC. All updates will be reflected on this page.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i is committed to the health of our Littles, families, Bigs, and staff. With this in mind, we have decided to suspend all events and physical meetings until the end of April.
Our offices on O‘ahu and Maui are closed, and staff are working remotely. To be clear, BBBSH will continue to operate, but we will be working remotely.
For those with internet access, we are still enrolling children and volunteers, and are continuing to support virtual relationships during this time of social distancing. Please reach out to your Match Support Case Manager with questions and for updates, or email our office at info@bbbshawaii.org.
We are temporarily not accepting used household items and clothing donations. Additionally we are closing our donation pods until further notice. We appreciate your support and understanding.
•••last updated: 3/21/20•••
If you are a Mentor, Youth, Parent, or Guardian, please see the message below sent on Monday, March 16.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i is committed to the health of our Littles, families, Bigs, and staff. With this in mind, we have decided to suspend all events and physical meetings until the end of April.
Our offices on O‘ahu and Maui are closed, and staff are working remotely. To be clear, BBBSH will continue to operate, but we will be working remotely.
For those with internet access, we are still enrolling children and volunteers, and are continuing to support virtual relationships during this time of social distancing. Please reach out to your Match Support Case Manager with questions and for updates, or email our office at info@bbbshawaii.org.
We are temporarily not accepting used household items and clothing donations. Additionally we are closing our donation pods until further notice. We appreciate your support and understanding.
•••last updated: 3/21/20•••
If you are a Mentor, Youth, Parent, or Guardian, please see the message below sent on Monday, March 16.
