MEO Youth Services

12/31/2025

On MEO Youth Services' first day of its winter break program On Dec. 22, a group of high and middle schoolers made sugar cookies and hot cocoa to share with MEO staff in the Wailuku office. Shown (from left) are Kauinohea Naipo, La‘akea Wells, Rylou Jardon and Isaiah Emata.
MEO Youth Services offers winter, spring, summer and fall break programs for youth that emphasize positive behaviors, leadership and cultural and community service activities.

04/21/2025

The 3rd Kamp Kāohi, which offers leadership, harmful-behavior prevention and fun activities for middle and high school youth on Moloka`i, will be held May 2 and 3 at Moloka`i Baptist Church in Ho`olehua.

The camp is open to 6th to 12th graders and is offered at no cost to attendees. Space is limited.

This is the third running of the camp, which has been organized by Maui Economic Opportunity Youth Services Moloka`i with support from MEO Youth Services staff on Maui.

The overnight camp offers fun activities, like smores and waterslides, while also presenting strength-based approaches to promote mental health and to prevent su***de, violence, bullying and substance abuse.

In addition, the camp seeks to develop future leaders of the community.

Drop-off at the camp is 2:30 p.m., May 2, with pickup at 4 p.m., May 3. Moloka`i Baptist Church is located at 495 Puupeelua Ave, Ho`olehua.

To sign up, go to https://tinyurl.com/2s364mtc.

For more information, call (808) 553-5472 or email [email protected].

04/18/2025

Fun overnight camp with activities, smores, leadership building and more. Camp utilizes a strength-based and upstream approach to mental health promotion and prevention of su***de, violence, bullying and substance abuse. Cultivating our future leaders!

Camp offered at no cost to attendees.

For more information, call (808) 553-5472 or email [email protected].

04/11/2025

Instagram: meo_youthservices

April 10, 2025- in honor of Earth day we did a quick clean up at the Kahului harbor. We picked up so many cigarette butts, it was too many to count. But can you guess how many fit in this small cup??
https://www.instagram.com/meo_youthservices/

01/17/2025

10/26/2024

Barney the Dinosaur is in the house. He's headed to the Trunk 'n Treat at Big Brothers Big Sisters later this afternoon. MEO Youth Services will be there.

09/13/2024

The Hawaii-based Nuestro Futuro Foundation has provided two grants this year to support the Maui Economic Opportunity Kāohi program that works to prevent substance abuse, bullying and su***de among middle and high school youth on Moloka‘i.

The Nuestro Futuro Foundation’s initial grant in 2022 helped start the program on Moloka‘i that year. MEO had identified substance abuse and su***de among youth on the island as issues needing to be addressed. Bringing MEO Youth Services’ Maui tobacco/va**ng, alcohol, drug, bullying, and su***de prevention programs to Moloka‘i was a perfect fit.

Under the direction of coordinator Mela Tancayo and her staff, Kāohi offers programs in-school, after-school and during fall, winter, spring and summer breaks. The out-of-school activities include peer leadership, college/career development, youth-driven activities, parental involvement, community activism, volunteerism and cultural activities.

Youth organized a sign waving in front of the Moloka‘i Public Library to bring awareness to su***de and prevention on Sept. 10, worked in taro patches and fishponds over the summer, regularly clean their Adopt A Highway section, and learned basic auto maintenance and repair.

In addition, MEO Youth Services has held an overnight Kamp Kāohi the last two years with prevention and fun activities at Moloka‘i Baptist Church.

This year’s grants will support the continuation of the program that engaged with more than 200 youth, 11 to 18 years old, last fiscal year. Kāohi is offered without charge.

“Nuestro Futuro is honored to be able to partner with MEO in support of this impactful program for our youth on Molokai”, said Abigail Perrin, Executive Director of Nuestro Futuro Foundation.

Nuestro Futuro is a nonprofit corporation, whose mission is to build community and fund education, youth and addiction treatment programs. The nonprofit was founded 1999 and operated a successful program bringing technology to schoolchildren in Bolivia for 10 years.

Since 2009, Nuestro Futuro has given grants to various nonprofits on Maui, including Common Ground Collective, The Lahaina Community Land Trust, Grow Some Good, and many other Maui based nonprofits.

“It is because of the Nuestro Futuro Foundation that MEO has been able to tackle the issues of substance abuse, bullying and su***de among youth on Moloka‘i,” said MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe. “While working with youth and their families to delay the use of tobacco/va**ng, drugs and alcohol, we are also laying the foundation for Moloka‘i youth to be contributing members and future leaders of the community.”

For more information about Kāohi, contact Mela at (808) 553-5472.

Caption:
Aaron Guerrero, MEO Youth Service specialist, plays “1-2-3-Look,” a game that encourages participants to observe their fellow players. This was a cyberbullying and su***de prevention exercise at Kamp Kāohi, held April 13 and 14 at Moloka‘i Baptist Church.

09/12/2024

A sign-waving event throwing a spotlight on su***de and prevention, organized by Maui Economic Opportunity Youth Services, drew about 25 youth, staff and community members Tuesday to the grassy area fronting Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center in Kahului.

In Kaunakakai, MEO’s Youth Services Kāohi program organized a sign waving to highlight su***de in the community Tuesday in front of the Moloka‘i Public Library. About 10 youth and community members joined the event.

Middle and high schoolers in MEO Youth Services annually sign wave to mark Su***de Prevention Month in September.

Su***de and prevention are integral components in Youth Services’ curriculum offered in public and private high schools on Maui and Moloka‘i, as well as part of after school and fall, winter, spring and summer break programs.

Youth Services’ staff impart skills on youth to harness their personal strengths to deal with life’s challenges, as well as to identify signs of su***de among peers and the steps to help them.

Individuals in crisis can seek help by calling 988, the su***de and crisis lifeline, which is available 24 hours, seven days a week.

For more information about MEO Youth Services’ programs, call (808) 243-4315.

09/06/2024

Maui Economic Opportunity’s Youth Services team participated in a ceremony Thursday marking September as Su***de Prevention Month in Maui County.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen read the proclamation. The event was organized by E Ola Hou Prevent Su***de Maui County Task Force and Mental Health America of Hawai‘i Maui County Branch, led by Danielle Bergan.

In his short talk, MEO Youth Services Director Dane Ka‘ae noted how su***de was a hush hush topic when he was growing up, but today “I can say the word ‘su***de.’ ” Dane also noticed openness among youth on the topic of su***de.

MEO Youth Services staff visit Maui and Moloka‘i schools with a su***de prevention curriculum that encourages that openness and teaches youth about the possible signs of su***de. Through peer awareness, sign waving and other public activities, MEO Youth Services works to remove the stigma and the silence of su***de.

Representing MEO Youth Services at the proclamation reading was Dane, Kristin Wells, Jaynina Gomes and Aaron Guerrero.

MEO Youth Services on Maui and Moloka‘i will be holding su***de prevention sign waving from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, in front of the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center in Kahului and the Moloka‘i Public Library. Youth Services staff also will be offering its su***de prevention curriculum in schools and in its afterschool program.

Prior to reading the proclamation, the mayor reiterated what other speakers noted – that measuring su***de prevention is difficult because that requires quantifying an event that does not happen. But the community can control the effort and monitor the work put into prevention.

He also said that social media, or “unsocial media,” is the No. 1 threat to mental health. Users are able to reinvent themselves and have turned the platform into a weapon.

Other activities marking Su***de Prevention Month include:

- Youth Mental Health First Aid training by Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 6, J. Walter Cameron Center, Wailuku. For information, email Danielle at [email protected].

- Su***de Prevention safeTALK training by Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, Sept. 11, J. Water Cameron Center, Wailuku. For information, email Danielle at [email protected].

- Out-of-The-Darkness Walk, 4:30 p.m. to sunset, Saturday, Sept. 21, at Moloka‘i Canoe Club. For information, contact U‘ilani Kiaha at (808) 757-0460.

- Adult survivors of su***de loss bereavement support group on Moloka‘i, organized by Nā Puʻuwai, Tuesday, Sept. 10. For information, email Anuhea Beair at [email protected] or call (808) 560-1060. The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month.

Hawai‘i CARES 988 offers a free crisis, mental health and substance use call center. Locally trained and qualified clinical and crisis call center staff provide supportive counseling and screening for urgent or emergent mental health or substance use needs, recommendations for behavioral health assessments, services and crisis interventions. Call or text 988, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, visit hicares.hawaii.gov.

07/25/2024

05/23/2024

“Cultivating Care: Caring For Your Islands and Caring For Yourself” is the theme of this year’s fourth ‘Imi Pono: The Greatest Challenge contest for Maui County middle and high schoolers, with top entries winning cash prizes.

Applications are currently available for the contest open to public, private and homeschool students. The idea is for interested youth to apply for the contest, work on the project over the summer and submit their work by Aug. 30.

The Challenge requirements have been tweaked this year to include:

- 16 hours of volunteering.

- 1 to 2 page essay describing the experience.

- 1 to 3 minute video/PowerPoint presentation integrating the theme “Cultivating Care” with their volunteer and life experiences or positive mental health strategies employed when feeling stressed or down.

Cash awards will be presented to the first, second and third place winners in middle school (grades 6 to 8) and high school (grades 9 to 12) divisions. Winners will be announced Sept. 13.

Submissions may be dropped off with MEO Youth Services, 99 Mahalani St., Wailuku (second floor), weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or emailed to [email protected].

For an application and additional information go to https://forms.gle/CbpiEA7WZZeuyCBB9, call (808) 243-4315 or email [email protected].

The contest is the brainchild of Maui County Council Member Alice Lee and has featured the themes of the dangers of va**ng in 2023, COVID-19 prevention in 2021, reimagining Maui County in its inaugural year in 2020. ‘Imi Pono means “to search for the right way.”

The ‘Imi Pono Challenge is sponsored by MEO’s Youth Services in partnership with the Maui Chamber of Commerce and the County of Maui.