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Center offers 'new things'
The Youth Education Town blends education, fun and fitness for young people at $1 a year
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 29, 2009
Veteran Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii members Jamen DeBina, 9, and Karmen Aiwohi, 8, know a thing or two about community centers, and they say the new NFL Youth Education Town in their Nanakuli neighborhood is one of the best yet.
"We like this place because we get all kinds of new things," said Karmen, who also warned that with privilege comes responsibility. "You don't run around and do naughty things."
It's hard to imagine anyone getting into trouble in a facility with so many stimulating activities. There's an arts-and-crafts room with space for a kiln and a multimedia area with digital video cameras (donated by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young), musical keyboards and a green screen on the way. A library allows kids to start the afternoon with "Power Hour" — an hour of homework or academic worksheets ("power pages," which received high marks from Karmen and Jamen).
There's also a place to read or relax and watch videos (no video games, though) or work on one of 30 laptop computers donated by the NFL. The main room is devoted to physical activities like hip-hop dancing and other movement and coordination games.
Unbelievably, membership for kids between 7 and 12 at this Boys and Girls Club facility costs $1 per year.
THE NFL Youth Education Town Hawaii celebrates its grand opening with a community open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow in Nanakuli with multimedia, computer, health, fitness and art activity stations. After a traditional Hawaiian blessing, visitors will be invited to sample some of the available programs, buy food for a nominal fee and maybe even win a prize.
Constructed with a $1 million donation from the National Football League, a $2 million contribution from the state, $1.2 million from the city and private donations, the NFL YET center is built on 1.6 acres of Hawaiian Home Lands next to Nanaikapono Elementary School. Phase 2, slated for completion by the end of the year, includes a Hawaiian garden and an outdoor amphitheater.
The 10,000-square-foot building joins 14 others across the country — located in Super Bowl (or, in this case, Pro Bowl) host cities. But Nanakuli's facility is leading the way as the first green building of its kind.
Many of the interior lights are powered by solar panels. Recycled coral from the excavation was used in construction. The bathrooms feature water conservation systems, and some of the ceilings have been left unfinished to stimulate curiosity, said clubhouse director Mike Kahikina.
In addition, kids will learn about eco-friendly practices and how to recycle what they use. A computer in the main room collects kid-friendly data from a weather satellite and the eight rooftop photovoltaic panels providing direct-current electricity.
The result is a miniature research station that helps kids learn how weather affects solar power and how much of the building is operating on natural energy at any given time (it also provides information for Hawaiian Electric Co.'s Electric Power Research Institute).
"It's about energy savings, but it's truly about educating the kids," said Carlos Perez, director of customer technology applications at HECO. "And when they go home, it's amazing how much they convey."
NFL YET program director Lala Fernandez said the more the kids understand, the more "they take pride in taking care of it."
When they're not studying alternative energy systems or receiving help with homework, participants will spend time in the "Play 60" room, which encourages them to move, dance and play for 60 minutes every day, something Jamen says is "kind of like exercising."
"We're not the typical game room," added Fernandez. The 400 audiovisual applications will help kids "develop certain motor skills they might not have." A nutrition program will supplement these activities.
"Nanakuli has arrived," said Kahikina, pointing to the state-of-the-art video and sound equipment the kids will use to produce newscasts at Nanaikapono Elementary and create their own short movies and music videos. "What's good in Waialae is good in Waianae."
GRAND OPENING AND COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE
NFL Youth Education Town (YET) Hawaii
| » Where: 89-159 Mano Ave., next to Nanaikapono Elementary School, Nanakuli |
| » When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow |
| » Cost: Free admission; food and commemorative T-shirts available for purchase |
| » Info: 668-9399 or www.bgch.com |
Veteran Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii members Jamen DeBina, 9, and Karmen Aiwohi, 8, know a thing or two about community centers, and they say the new NFL Youth Education Town in their Nanakuli neighborhood is one of the best yet.
"We like this place because we get all kinds of new things," said Karmen, who also warned that with privilege comes responsibility. "You don't run around and do naughty things."
It's hard to imagine anyone getting into trouble in a facility with so many stimulating activities. There's an arts-and-crafts room with space for a kiln and a multimedia area with digital video cameras (donated by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young), musical keyboards and a green screen on the way. A library allows kids to start the afternoon with "Power Hour" — an hour of homework or academic worksheets ("power pages," which received high marks from Karmen and Jamen).
There's also a place to read or relax and watch videos (no video games, though) or work on one of 30 laptop computers donated by the NFL. The main room is devoted to physical activities like hip-hop dancing and other movement and coordination games.
Unbelievably, membership for kids between 7 and 12 at this Boys and Girls Club facility costs $1 per year.
THE NFL Youth Education Town Hawaii celebrates its grand opening with a community open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow in Nanakuli with multimedia, computer, health, fitness and art activity stations. After a traditional Hawaiian blessing, visitors will be invited to sample some of the available programs, buy food for a nominal fee and maybe even win a prize.
Constructed with a $1 million donation from the National Football League, a $2 million contribution from the state, $1.2 million from the city and private donations, the NFL YET center is built on 1.6 acres of Hawaiian Home Lands next to Nanaikapono Elementary School. Phase 2, slated for completion by the end of the year, includes a Hawaiian garden and an outdoor amphitheater.
The 10,000-square-foot building joins 14 others across the country — located in Super Bowl (or, in this case, Pro Bowl) host cities. But Nanakuli's facility is leading the way as the first green building of its kind.
Many of the interior lights are powered by solar panels. Recycled coral from the excavation was used in construction. The bathrooms feature water conservation systems, and some of the ceilings have been left unfinished to stimulate curiosity, said clubhouse director Mike Kahikina.
In addition, kids will learn about eco-friendly practices and how to recycle what they use. A computer in the main room collects kid-friendly data from a weather satellite and the eight rooftop photovoltaic panels providing direct-current electricity.
The result is a miniature research station that helps kids learn how weather affects solar power and how much of the building is operating on natural energy at any given time (it also provides information for Hawaiian Electric Co.'s Electric Power Research Institute).
"It's about energy savings, but it's truly about educating the kids," said Carlos Perez, director of customer technology applications at HECO. "And when they go home, it's amazing how much they convey."
NFL YET program director Lala Fernandez said the more the kids understand, the more "they take pride in taking care of it."
When they're not studying alternative energy systems or receiving help with homework, participants will spend time in the "Play 60" room, which encourages them to move, dance and play for 60 minutes every day, something Jamen says is "kind of like exercising."
"We're not the typical game room," added Fernandez. The 400 audiovisual applications will help kids "develop certain motor skills they might not have." A nutrition program will supplement these activities.
"Nanakuli has arrived," said Kahikina, pointing to the state-of-the-art video and sound equipment the kids will use to produce newscasts at Nanaikapono Elementary and create their own short movies and music videos. "What's good in Waialae is good in Waianae."
GRAND OPENING AND COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE
NFL Youth Education Town (YET) Hawaii
| » Where: 89-159 Mano Ave., next to Nanaikapono Elementary School, Nanakuli |
| » When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow |
| » Cost: Free admission; food and commemorative T-shirts available for purchase |
| » Info: 668-9399 or www.bgch.com |
Today’s Edition
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- Hawaii Beat
- Scoreboard
- Television & Radio
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