Address: 555 N. King St. #116
Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Phone: (808) 913-1364 ext. 6
Upcoming Events
As WAO continually strives to help our children and youth succeed in school, work, and their communities, we want to announce this month’s Career Readiness guest: Spencer Asher! Spencer is a US Army Warrant officer, a Blackhawk pilot, and a college student. Please join us to get tips on how you might be able to do something similar to what Spencer does or to learn valuable life lessons that may help you to be successful in your future career.
- Register: https://forms.gle/LmnBde4hs6qoGctB8
- Join the Zoom call: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7982110816
About the Youth Empowerment Center
Community Need
Cultural differences between Micronesia and Hawai’i in medical care, employment, education, and laws, compounded with the unfamiliarity with navigating Hawai’i systems and services, have led to the numerous challenges facing the Micronesian community in Hawai’i. Among these challenges are homelessness, high student truancy, lack of job readiness skills, increasing numbers of children in child welfare services, and growing juvenile and adult incarcerations. As the beneficiary of the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) funded by HUD through Residential Youth Services Empowerment (RYSE), WAO can address these challenges.
Guide On the Side
According to the Oahu Coordinated Community Plan to End Youth Homelessness(CCP), COFA youth homelessness is influenced by trauma and violence, generational homelessness, and disconnection from school, and made worse by discrimination, poverty, and barriers in service. Guide On The Side will provide peer mentorship opportunities for Micronesian youth to empower their peers and work alongside staff to learn how to serve their communities better. Through this program, WAO & RYSE envision creating opportunities to develop the future generation of social service workers and strengthen the Micronesian community. In addition, our goal is to divert youth from a lifelong cycle of homelessness and system involvement by providing them opportunities and training for college readiness, career readiness, and community readiness.
Acculturation Training
WAO provides acculturation training for service providers to help build a greater understanding of Micronesian culture and better work with Micronesian individuals and families. This training targets government agencies, including the Hawaii Police, the Judiciary, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Education and Health; health providers, including major hospitals and health clinics; and workforce agencies and employers.
Youth Empowerment Services Center
WAO assists youth by providing a safe space free of discrimination to access mentorship and educational support, including college prep and information about internships. In addition, WAO offers financial literacy education and encourages youth civic engagement. This includes three monthly readiness training events on college, career, and community.