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ISLAND VOICES
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By Robbie Ann Kane and Scarlett Lewis
founded in honor of Jesse Lewis, a remark able 6-year-old who was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Shortly before Jesse died, he wrote “nur turing, healing love” on the family’s kitchen chalkboard. This is the message that Choose Love shares in his memory The Robbie Ann~ Kane left is dire~tor~f -‘c ~ program teaches.pre-K through 12th grade progrdi~Ornidyar’Initiatthe~at thea;. learners how to choose loving action’ in any Hawaii Community Foundatior~ Scarlelt circumstance and focuses on the character Lewis, whose &year-old son Jesse was values courage, gratitude, forgiveness killed atSczndy Hook Elernentary School and compassion in action. These values cul in 2012, is founder of the Jesse Lewis tivate optimism, resilience and personal re Choose Love Enrichment Program. sponsibility through emotional intelligence, neufoscience, growth mindset, and more. In Hawaii, Kà’elepulu Elementary selected relationships, increased grades, test scores Choose Love as their SEL program and the and graduation rates. ‘results are promising. After a year of Choose More than 20 SEL programs, supported Love,’ the students at Ka’elepulu reported 95 by the Pillars of Peace HawàVi Initiative percent less anxiety and stress, 98 percent (PoPH) at the Hawaii Community Founda of students had a better ability to see oth tion (HCF), are currently in place in 11 Ha waii schools. In addition, PoPH supports the er’s perspectives and show empathy, 91 per cent felt less aggression and anger in their Roots of Empathy and’ Ceeds of Peace pro grams bringing SEL to 10 additional schools. lives, and 99 percent were able to respond A notable SEL program supported by HCF to others in a more loving manner. The no ticeable improvement in classroom climate, is the Choose Love Enrichment Program, —
ollowing the mass shooting in Florida last month, and the many other trage dies that occurred before it, we find ourselves asking if it’s possible to keep our chil&en safe and prevent violence i~n our schools. While the issues of.gun corifrôl and mental health services are key discussion points both locally and nationally, they do not address the root cause of the problem, which is disconnection and anger in our youth. School-based Social and Emotional Learn ing (SEL) programs teach children the skills necessary to reduce social isolation and dis tress that leads to violent behavior and bul lying in our schools, as well as suicide, drug, and alcohol abuse. In recent years, there has been a tremen dous increase in SEL policies and programs in all 50 states according to a study by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emo tional Learning (CASEL). The results of these programs show a reduction in depres sion and anxiety as well as factors leading to violence. SEL also increases positive peer
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teacher well-being, and students’ overall be havior has inspired 17 other schools in Ha waii to join them in implementing Choose Love on campus. As a community, it is our responsibility to make sure Hawaii’s aloha spirit is perpetu ated and proactively taught to our keiki. While we still need to emphasize the funda mentals, like reading, writing, and arithme tic, we also need to teach our children the skills to understand and manage their feel ings, and to recognize the emotions of oth ers and build strong relationships. Through evidence-based, best practice SEL programs, we believe it can happen. We don’t have a choice; we have to do every thing we can to prevent another tragic inci dent. As Mary Gordon, founder of the Roots of Empathy program which started in Can ada over 20 years ago has said, “As import ant as it is to learn to read, if we don’t learn to relate, we are a failed society.” To learn more about SEL programs, visit pillarsofpeace.hawaiicommunilYfoufldatiOn. org/sel/socialemotionalleaming.
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Cu ure can he p awaii collaboration and
a2riculture innovation, value-added prod-
rsh that can be applied throughout the world,