Neighborhood Place of Puna works with diverse families in East Hawai’i. While our community is diverse, we know that a disproportionate number of families we work with are Native Hawaiian. A lot of research has been conducted on the effectiveness of programs rooted in Hawaiian cultural values, especially in healing historical trauma. We believe in respecting and uplifting host-culture. This is foundational to creating appropriate services in our community.
Neighborhood Place of Puna is committed to providing care that is relevant and applicable to all the families we serve. That is why we are always working towards developing our programs to be community-focused and culturally relevant.
According to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, culture-based programs are 4x more effective in supporting the mental health of Native Hawaiians than any other type of program. Research into the effectiveness of culture-based programs has also identified benefits for non-Hawaiians. We are excited to share this research and to affirm our commitment to lifting up la hui, our Hawaiian community.
In the past, NPP has offered services through the Kamalama Parenting program which put a focus on Hawaiian cultural values within our outreach. In the coming weeks, we are excited to announce that we’ll be launching a brand new program centered on promoting culture and the normalization of ‘ōlelo Hawai’i in the delivery of mental health services.
A ho’omākaukau!
Get ready!
Resources Discussing the Successes of Hawaiian Culture-Based Programs:
Ho‘opilina: The Call for Cultural Relevance in Education
Student Outcomes Associated with Service-Learning in a Culturally Relevant High School Program