In 2014, students from Lakeland College Alberta, Canada flew to Hawaii for their International Practicum. These students are enrolled in the school of human services and studying programs such as Child and Youth Care, Educational Assistant and Early Learning and Child Care. The students were asked to create presentations to illustrate their experiences.

1. KIDS HURT TOO
HAWAII

2. CAREGIVER ROLES
Support each youth in a beneficial manner
Provide mentorship to develop strengths

3. PHYSICAL SETTING
A multidisciplinary building, that has Kids Hurt
Too, Foster youth Coalition, as well as other
resources such as mediation, and community
resources.
Located on the edge of Chinatown considered to
be a rough area

4. SIMILARITIES
Focus is on providing positive experiences,
through activities and crafts
Provide positive mentorship and role models to
help guide the youth

5. DIFFERENCES
Programs to help parents provide support to
children
Less structured (if youth decide they no longer
want to participate they have the option of doing
something more to their energy and emotional state
of that day

6. POSITIVE IDEA 1
Using wood sanding to show that loss can help
develop and polish a person into who they are, and
that it takes timer can be endless depending on goals

7. POSITIVE IDEA 2
Find a fun activity the youth will enjoy, then find a
lesson or learning opportunity, rather then pick a
learning goal and finding and activity after

8. POSITIVE IDEA 3
Do not have just specific activities for the day but
provide the youth choices, allowing them to develop
the ability to make appropriate choices for their
energy and emotional levels.

9. CHALLENGE 1
Finding new and innovate ways to keep the
youth’s attention
Many youth do not enjoy the same thing making
this difficult on occasion

10. CHALLENGE 2
Leaving my own comfort zone
This has been an ongoing challenge for me

11. CHALLENGE 3
To find innovative ways to engage the youth in
ways that would be new, as well as great learning
experiences and fun.

12. INSIGHT 1
Some cultures are more inviting to outsiders than
others
In Hawaii they shared and welcomed people, and
seems less inviting in Canada, requiring knowing
someone to witness many aspects

13. INSIGHT 2
Everyday activities can be used as learning
opportunities.
These can be fun, as well as create new
connections for the youth

14. INSIGHT 3
That our society often over regulates youths
activities in programs.
Sometimes the youth just need a safe place to do
what they need to at that time for themselves.

15. CULTURAL SIMILARITIES
Both Hawaiin and Canadian Aboriginal cultures
put great value and meaning on animal spirits.
Both cultures traditionally look to living with
nature rather than controlling it.

16. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
In Canada the aboriginal people have a very
difficult stereotype to overcome compared to the
Hawaiin aboriginal culture.
I believe this is partly to do with tourism, and
partly the way in which the cultures are celebrated

17. PHILOSOPHY
To enjoy life to it’s fullest with those around me,
and to take the opportunities to grow and learn
while I do so.

18. PHILOSOPHY 2
To take the bumps and hurdles life puts in my
path and turn them into a positive learning
experience and outcome from a negative situation

19. WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT
ME
I learned that I adapt to new areas quickly and
fairly easily
That given the opportunity, I enjoy activities on
my own as much as I do with groups depending on
the activity

20. I WILL NEVER FORGET
I will never forget how much freedom the
children at Kids Hurt Too had, from helping create
the name, to choices of activities.
 I will also never forget how hard the facilitators
strive to provide a place of healing for each youth in
their own way.