Lanakila Learning Center

Area of Focus: Youth
Website: None

The Lanakila Learning Center (LLC) is an alternative learning center of Hilo High School for students who are identified as at-risk of dropping out of school or who have been removed from campus due to serious disciplinary infractions. LLC’s goal is to create a small, supportive learning environment that is conducive to relationship-building between students and staff and that allows LLC to address student needs in a holistic fashion. LLC supports its students in a structured, success-oriented environment. Most importantly, LLC builds student connections with positive adult mentors, with the academic curriculum, and with the community.

Most of the students learn best with curricula that are highly experiential and “hands-on.” Project-based learning, field work days and community service projects are important in LLC’s curriculum. For example, a field work day might consist of spending time with a University of Hawai‘i at Hilo stream biologist to learn about native and introduced species or a field expert from the Department of Land and Natural Resources to learn about Hawaiian stream environments. A subsequent field work day might require students to collect various species of stream life in the lower, middle, and upper reaches of stream and to correlate species location with variables such as elevation, water temperature, salinity, and oxygen/ph level.

LLC recognizes that its students have multi-faceted needs. Substance abuse is frequently an issue, and the school directly addresses it. Program delivery focuses on (1) Academic Development to increase school attachment, performance and completion; (2) Career Development to increase knowledge of career pathways and preparation for post-high school completion; (3) Personal Development to increase personal and social competencies, particularly in substance abuse and violence prevention, and to increase fitness levels and wellness practices; (4) Cultural Development to increase positive ethnic identity and to foster sensitivity and respect for other cultures; (5) Family Bonding to improve the quality of intra-familial interaction and to strengthen bonding between students, families, and the program staff; and (6) Recreational Enrichment to increase participation in pro-social recreational activities and to increase opportunities for positive interaction with peers and appropriate adult role models.

LLC also works to provide after-hours and weekend diversionary recreation program. These alternative, pro-social activities increase the students’ connectedness to the school and positive adult role models and decrease their opportunities to engage in risky behaviors.

The program has operated for about 9 years and has developed many community partners: the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, community businesses, and community agencies. LLC has accessed funding through multiple sources to piece together its comprehensive program.