‘OMA‘O — The kids participating in the pilot program of the Keala Foundation’s Early Intervention Camp spent their summer studying Hawaiian culture, working out, learning to gut fish and diving with sharks off Ni‘ihau.
The program is designed to prevent kids from sliding into substance abuse by teaching them the value of exercise and adventure.
“This is my first time doing stuff like this,” said camper Mario Diaz, while scaling a tray of menpachi and papio for dinner before the final weekend of the camp. “I’m a city boy. At first I didn’t want to get dirty and all that. But I feel like I adapted to it pretty well.”
Diaz, who said he had been getting in trouble on the mainland, found the camp to be a bresh of fresh air.
“It’s been life-changing. Going through all the steps changed the way I think about certain things,” said Diaz.
The camp, set near the Alaka‘i O Kaua‘i Charter School at Kahili Mountain Park, features several newly constructed rustic cabins, a fence built by the campers, and the beginnings of a workout facility.
Boys in the camp wake up early, practice mindfulness, work out, and take part in outdoor adventures in the afternoon. Later in the day they hear speakers talk about their experiences with substance abuse, or speak on their own personal experiences. The program begins with a 10-day, intensive program, and is followed by seven weekend sessions.
Camper Keanu Hicks was skeptical at first, but over the course of two months, it grew on him.
“I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into. Now that I’m here, I might even do the next one if I can,” said Hicks. “Once I started getting used to it, it was really fun.”
Keanu and his older brother both attended the camp at the urging of their mom, Lisa Hicks.
Hicks’ husband passed away recently, and she saw the camp as especially helpful at providing her sons with relatable male role models they can look up to.
“It was huge for them to have men teach them that you can get that feeling of getting high by getting exercise and going on adventures,” said Lisa Hicks.
“When they got here and had to talk about their feelings — I think that was a huge part of my older son’s breakthrough.”
Keala Foundation Program Coach Billy Quereto began working with at-risk youth in Anahola in 2017, which he used to inspire the curriculum for the camp. Key to the process is the counselors being open and honest about their own experiences.
Quereto is a former drug addict who once spent a week in a coma, and he draws on this to relate to kids.
“I’ve been through a lot of stuff,” said Quereto. “When he sees the way I hold myself and I’m able to be honest about the things I’ve dealt with, he drops his guard. Once he starts to drop his guard, you can have that conversation.”
Aaron Hoff, who founded the Keala Foundation after his own battles with substance abuse, also stressed honesty as a key to living a healthier life.
“The biggest thing is maintaining transparency and not starting to lie,” said Hoff. “That’s the beginning of depression. When you start stuffing all those emotions, not talking about them, then down the road you can’t pinpoint where the depression is coming from. But it’s all that stuff that never comes to light.”
The pilot program is unique in that it focuses on preventing kids from going down what Hoff calls a ”normalized path of addiction” rather than dealing with those already suffering from substance abuse.
The Early Intervention Camp was free to campers. Hoff hopes to continue the program with a larger camp, possibly as early as this November.
“The solution is going to come from the community,” said Hoff. “People in the community making little contributions to make this program grow.”
Ultimate Hawai‘i Trail Run is Saturday
‘OMA‘O — The Keala Foundation will host the 2022 Ultimate Hawaiian Trail Run at the ‘Oma‘o motocross track this Saturday.
Gates will open at 6:30 a.m. followed by opening ceremonies at 7:30 a.m. The race will begin at 8 a.m.
Last year marked the return of the run following a year of absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants can sign up to compete in youth or adult divisions, in long (10k), short (5k) and easy categories.
They can also run the GORUCK race, where participants run the long track while wearing a GORUCK Rucker 4.0 sack, which they can keep afterwards.
The normal races are free for those under 18 and cost $150 for adults, while GORUCK race costs $150 for kids and $300 for adults.
Funds will be used to support Keala Foundation projects like the Early Intervention Program.
Participants can register or donate at the following link: tgilinks.com/3BEMuuU
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
