The Hōkū Group Services Program offers weekly group sessions for youth, providing skills, knowledge, and connection in a safe space. Youth who participate may have multiple risk factors and vulnerabilities and may have been identified as victims of exploitation. Often, Hōkū provides continuity for youth who move between facilities as they navigate a space to heal. Hōkū groups provide youth opportunities to express and process their thoughts and emotions. Sessions are designed to be fun and engaging, to empower and build resilience. We always aim to support youth where they’re “at” – however they’re feeling, in whatever situation they find themselves. These factors are paramount in the recovery of trauma survivors.   
Sessions include psychoeducational activities focused on: 

• Increasing self-worth 
• Developing emotional and physical safety
• Exploring one’s identity and purpose
• Life Skills 
• Gaining knowledge to better oneself 
• Promoting self-empowerment 

Activities teach youth new information and include various forms of expression: 

• Art 
• Discussion 
• Science 
• Critical thinking 
• Movement-based activities 
• Nutrition 

If your facility is interested in Hōkū Group Services on O’ahu, contact Marissa Gordon, Program Manager, at [email protected], or by phone at 808-435-8799. For Hōkū group Services on Hawaii Island, contact Anastasia Ayers, Direct Services Program Manager, at [email protected] or by phone at 808-284-0051.

• Hale Kipa Ewa Shelter – Oʻahu
• Hale Lanipolua Assessment Center  – Oʻahu
• Hale Ho‘omalu Detention Home – Oʻahu
• Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility – Oʻahu
• Kahi Mohala – Oʻahu
• Noho Olu Salvation Army Home – Oʻahu
• Youth Challenge Academy – Hawaiʻi Island
• Pearl Haven – Oʻahu
• Hope Services – Hawaiʻi Island
• Hawaii Academy of Arts & Sciences (HAAS) – Hawaii Island
• Parks &Recreation – Hawaiʻi Island

• Coconut Wireless: Prevention Education, Empowerment, and Resilience (P.E.E.R.)

  Groups 

  The purpose of the Coconut Wireless curriculum is to educate participants about commercial sexual exploitation in a trauma-responsive way and provide tools and activities to empower them to make healthy and safe choices. Participants will learn what commercial sexual exploitation is, how it happens, and tangible ways they can remain safe and prevent themselves from unknowingly becoming a victim of exploitation.
  
  We separate facts from myths, shed light on the reality of sex trafficking in Hawai‘i, and empower youth with knowledge and skills, thereby reframing the conversations that happen in their communities. Lessons are built in such a way that intentionally and carefully engage group participants in conversations about commercial sexual exploitation without requiring youth to disclose their personal experiences to the group.
  
  All lessons incorporate ways that participants can cultivate their own protective factors against exploitation. Discussions are participant-focused and built upon what they may already know and understand from their experiences and current influences impacting their daily lives. 
  
  If your facility, community group, or school is interested in the Coconut Wireless curriculum, contact Marissa Gordon, Program Manager, at [email protected], or by phone at 808-435-8799.