WAIMEA— It may have looked like pure fun, that water-balloon war under the hot Westside summer sun. But it was actually an exercise in physical activity, approved by Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii leaders and conducted by visiting interns
WAIMEA— It may have looked like pure fun, that water-balloon war under the hot Westside summer sun.
But it was actually an exercise in physical activity, approved by Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii leaders and conducted by visiting interns from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
Comprised of two graduate and two undergraduate University of Hawai‘i at Manoa students, a group of four interns, assigned to the Waimea district as part of a six-week internship, mingled with members of the Waimea Clubhouse of the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i, yesterday.
Emphasizing principal themes of health and education through the potting of vegetable plants and a water-balloon war, the interns paid their weekly visit to the children, who, by mere appearance, were thrilled by their presence.
The second of two groups to grace Kaua‘i, the Waimea-based interns arrived a week after their Hanalei-bound counterparts, who were spotted by Kaua‘i residents last week, soliciting contributions at the farmers’ market at the Hale Halawai ‘Ohana ‘O Hanalei.
According to Michelle Sagucio, a Waimea group intern working towards her master’s degree in social work, she and group members Brandon Doles, teaching major, Morgan Torris, nursing major, and Marissa Door, nursing major, under the guidance of director Rebecca Smith, congregate weekly to plan events and projects for the children.
“We come up with different ideas on how to emphasize the themes of health and education,” said Sagucio. “Our ideas are then approved or improved by William Trugillo, Kaua‘i branch director of the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i. But no matter what, the main focus is the kids,” she said.
“As long as we can come up with ways to adhere to the curriculum and have it be enjoyable for them, we are doing our jobs.
“This past Monday, we made banana bread as part of a nutrition lesson in which they learned about the different food groups,” said Sagucio. “And last week, we even created an obstacle course for the kids to encourage physical health. Today, we are reviewing what we learned last time.”
While residing on Kaua‘i, group members also participated in a variety of other events, including the recent YWCA Girls’ Camp in Koke‘e, and will be participating in the upcoming Asthma Camp, sponsored by the American Lung Association. The interns also have their hands full each Thursday, job shadowing someone with expertise in the field of their chosen major.
“Marissa is shadowing Dr. (C. Mitchell) Jenkins in ‘Ele‘ele, and I’m shadowing case manager/worker Gayle Mizukami of Nana’s House in Waimea,” said Sagucio.
The group is one of six UH-Manoa sets of interns, of all different disciplines, including medical, speech, and psychology, stationed statewide, with two on the Big Island, one on Maui, one on Moloka‘i, and two on Kaua‘i.
At the end of their internships, all group members are required, in order to receive school credit, to give a guideline-based, mixed-media presentation.
The Waimea group members will be making their presentations Thursday, July 21, from noon to 3 p.m. at Waimea Plantation Cottages, to members and dignitaries of the community. Upon returning to O‘ahu on Friday, July 22, the group members will convene with the five other groups of interns at a later date, to engage in an all-day, informative and presentational workshop, before submitting their term papers.
- For more information about the program, please contact William Trugillo, Kaua‘i branch director of the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i, at 632-0009, 651-6083, e-mail him at williamt@bgch.com, or visit www.bgch.com.
