The First Hawaiian Bank Foundation provided $5,000 to the Peer Mediation Elementary School Pilot Project sponsored by Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center, a Hilo-based nonprofit that serves East Hawaii.
The First Hawaiian Bank Foundation provided $5,000 to the Peer Mediation Elementary School Pilot Project sponsored by Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center, a Hilo-based nonprofit that serves East Hawaii.
“We appreciate your commitment to teach children dispute prevention and conflict resolution through peaceful means,” said FHB Foundation President Sharon Shiroma Brown.
During the 2015-16 school year, more than 100 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders have been trained as peer mediators at Hawaii Academy of Arts &Sciences, Keaau, Kapiolani, Keonepoko, Laupahoehoe and Mountain View elementary schools.
“I am proud to be a peer mediator because I get to help people,” said Indeya Ogo-Gilbert, a fifth-grader at Keonepoko Elementary. “I need to think before I speak because I’m setting a good example. You need to be trustworthy and able to keep things private. I became a better listener because of my training.”
Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center’s mission is to empower people to come together to find their own best solutions. For more information, call 935-7844 or visit www.hawaiimediation.org.