Stories
Experience the Impact of YFC
Each day, stories of changed lives and transformed communities are being written as a result of the work of Youth for Christ in the Hawaiian Islands. We invite you to experience the impact of YFC through:
EVERY KID DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE
Dear YFC Supporter,
If we were to paint a picture of our society it may be bleak. Usually a picture’s backdrop is primed in white paint, to make the colors more vivid. If you were to look at Hawaii’s statistics concerning high school age students, all you may see is a dark background. Hawaii’s statistics tell a desperate story.
According to the DOE there are over 15,000 students classified as “at risk." That’s almost enough to fill the Stan Sheriff Arena twice. A 2008 article stated that every day 33 students drop out of Hawaii’s schools. If that were not enough, the Department of Corrections reports that over 50% of the inmates have not earned a high school degree.
YFC Hawaii believes that everyone’s picture can change. The power of the Gospel can brighten the darkest of lives. We believe it for today’s students and for Hawaii’s next generation. It is our desire to introduce students to Christ and let them know they are worth a second chance. There is healing and restoration through repentance and forgiveness.
One of the most powerful and positive new developments for YFC Hawaii is our new initiative into the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility. Our club at Olomana School is an excellent place to work with students who need a second chance. Some nickname this school as the “last chance” school. We believe it is a “second chance” school.
The Olomana students are incredible and unique. They have a colored past and a hunger to learn about the Bible and Christ. They are searching for hope, something that will lift them out of their current situation. Please partner with us to develop a ministry which will reach into the lives of youth who have been incarcerated at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility.
Mahalo,
Daniel Ko
Interim Executive Director
Kamana
Class of 2012
My name is Kamana. I am supposed to be a Senior at Roosevelt High School. I am not stupid or a bad kid. Unfortunately I got transferred to the ALS (Second Chance) school because my grades were bad. There are a lot of other reasons why I am not at Roosevelt, some I would like to forget; others I try to keep alive as good memories. The Alternative school I am at is going to allow me to graduate on time. I am grateful for this, cause it is like a second chance for me.
I want to forget all the times I blew off homework, cut out of school and acted like a punk. There were fights, lies and many things that got me tossed out of Roosevelt. All of this is behind me now. I gotta look forward.
There was one positive thing I remember about Roosevelt. In 9th grade someone invited me to a strange club. They said there was free pizza. I went and there was pizza. There were people who were different. They were cool but they were not the bad kids. There was something different about them. The YFC guy invited me to a bible study. I said yes only because I was curious about these strange Christians. I am not a Christian but I felt it was good for me to go to the YFC club and bible study. The way these kids acted really impacted me. There was something different about them. I thought deeply about who they were and what they were about. I admired them inside.
Getting kicked out my senior year meant having to say goodbye to the YFC club. At the ALS school I met a friend from Kaimuki HS. He said he also went to the YFC club when he was at Kaimuki. He invited me to church and youth group. I go to a bible study twice a week. I still hang out with the YFC guy from Roosevelt. This is my story of my journey towards Christ.