{"id":131405,"date":"2020-11-27T11:43:09","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T21:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=131405"},"modified":"2020-11-27T11:43:09","modified_gmt":"2020-11-27T21:43:09","slug":"leeward-cc-youth-challenge-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/11\/27\/leeward-cc-youth-challenge-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth Challenge cadets prepare holiday lunch, gain skills through Leeward CC<\/abbr>"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Culinary class from Youth Challenge Academy cohort, No.<\/abbr> 53<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Valuable training that can lead to industry certification has been imparted to some Oʻahu<\/span> teenagers for more than two years through a collaboration between Leeward Community College\u2019s Office of Continuing Education & Workforce Development<\/a> (OCEWD<\/abbr>) and the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Youth Challenge Academy serves “at-promise” youth, ages 16–18, who are at greatest risk for substance abuse, teen pregnancy, delinquency and criminal activity. Besides mentoring and teaching values, life skills and self-discipline, a large part of its program focuses on education.<\/p>\n

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Male cadet preparing Ahi poke salad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With every cohort, OCEWD<\/abbr> trains a group of cadets in basic culinary and restaurant service skills. As part of their “graduation,” they prepare and serve a four-course lunch to their peers to celebrate the holidays. They usually donate meals to a nearby shelter in Kalaeloa. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the cadets held a much smaller lunch and donated a portion of the meals to the Hawaii National Guard.<\/p>\n

This partnership provides much needed training for cadets who are not following the route of a traditional student. Through these training programs, cadets develop essential skills that can be used to pursue entry-level employment or resume their education. They are also provided with the opportunity to network with local businesses and industry experts.<\/p>\n

OCEWD<\/abbr> Coordinator Will Castillo<\/strong>, whose working relationship with Youth Challenge Academy spans over a decade, said, “Our hope is that these cadets are inspired to not just start a job, but pursue their passion and a career.”<\/p>\n

Youth Challenge Director Sina Atanoa added, “In the first two years that we have partnered with Leeward CC<\/abbr>, our rate of cadets pursuing employment or education has increased by 70 percent.”<\/p>\n

For more information about Leeward CC<\/abbr>\u2019s OCEWD<\/abbr> and their training programs, visit their website<\/a> or email ocewd@hawaii.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Cadets grilled NY<\/abbr> steaks as the main course<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Leeward CC<\/abbr> and Youth Challenge Academy cohort prepared and served the meals as part of their graduation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[65,71,603],"class_list":["post-131405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-workforce-development","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t