DC ES Summer Program Week 1: We’re all about Ohana!

By Charles Kuo, DC Elementary School Program Coordinator and Pallavi Rudraraju, DC Elementary School Program Intern
Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff

‘Ohana: family, derived from oha (taro plant); ohana refers to how we all come from the same root

Summer has arrived and the DC Elementary School  Summer Program is underway! This year the DC Elementary School will be celebrating the meaning of Ohana. Ohana is the Hawaiian word for family. It means family in an extended sense of the term, including blood-related and adoptive. The word emphasizes that families are bound together and members must cooperate and remember one another (no one gets left behind). This theme embodies intentional community, which is valuable for an individual’s identity and leadership development.

This year our program is at Walker-Jones Education Campus with a diverse population of 100 young people. To prepare beforehand, our staff members participated in an two-day orientation filled with logistical training but also meaningful sharing. During one part of our training, staff members brought in “artifacts” and shared how certain ohanas have impacted their lives.

Artifacts from "My Ohana" Sharing

This summer, our AALEAD DC elementary youth have multiple workshops each day dedicated to a variety of subjects critical to their early leadership and identity development: art, culture, service, and health. In addition, the rising 5th/6th grade class, Kahoolawe, has weekly middle school transition and newsletter workshops. This week, Kahoolawe brainstormed the format of the newsletter and topics they wish to incorporate into it. The 5th/6th grade newsletter should be up and running on Tumblr in about a week! Check back next week for more updates on their dynamic ideas on empowerment, education, and community building through the AALEAD newsletter.

Second grade youth from Ms. Jade's class proudly display their emotional literacy Beyblade wheels during their workshop with Mr. Jeremy.

A glimpse of some of Kahoolawe's great ideas for the DC elementary school newsletter!

Yet, of course, if there’s one thing the DC elementary school youth know how to do, it’s how to have a blast! Yesterday, the entire program bused over to Homestead Farm, where we met the friendly farm animals, took a hayride in the Homestead tractor, and picked blueberries in endless green fields.

It’s hard to believe that one busy, exciting, and fun-filled week has already passed. Team Ohana can’t wait for even more more fun-filled weeks at Walker-Jones!

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