Aloha Adventures: A Day in the Life of Hawaii Girls YIP

July 17th, 2024. Another day kicks off at Hawaii YIP Girls Program where our US military mentors meet our 75 girls at the bus stop across the island to start their trek to the University of Hawaii to begin another day of personal growth, STEM based academics, trust exercises, and various activities hosted by the UH Wahine Basketball team.

When the girls arrive at UH, they excitedly jump into their groups where they have friends that they may have ridden in with or have found new friends from across the island to learn, grow, and play with for the duration of the program. They change into their uniforms and grab their breakfast, which today is a local treat coming from Liliha Bakery, one of our many local restaurants that provide a total of over 5000 meals for Boys and Girls YIP.

After breakfast the day truly starts. They break up into their groups and work with their military mentors to discuss ethos and values, and for today they work on personal courage. The girls take some time to reflect on what values mean to them, how it comes up in their lives, and take time to share with their peers so there is a deeper understanding of what it means to each girl. These values and ethos will come to life when they work on their Dream Cards— an illustration of what they learned from the program and what they hope to accomplish on and off the court in their lives.

Our DOE teachers take over from there— interacting with the girls on the court about trajectory in their free throws and how to use science to make them better on the court. When they return to the classroom, the teachers work on action and sport centered vocabulary through short stories, and the math to support the STEM information they learn on the court.

After a break for lunch with the Wahine Basketball team and military mentors, the students have a yoga class today, focusing on balance and focus alongside the physical benefits. Three instructors from Project Koa yoga walk them through multiple poses until they get to Shavasana. On other days they have had improv classes or Hawaiian Studies, all to focus on building confidence and interest outside of sport.

While they enjoy this time, the girls are eager to put on their tennis shoes and hit the gym for some time on the court. Their military mentors lead warmups and then work alongside the girls for some 3v3 on the court. They’ve been working on their free throws, three-pointers, and defense so they get a chance to apply it in smaller games. The girls are extra excited to watch Wahine Basketball Players take on their military mentors… but we won’t mention who the winner of that last match was.

They excitedly exit the gym, celebrating their teams and get ready to wrap up their day, changing out of the uniforms and grabbing a snack from the YIP staff before loading onto buses to head home. Most girls won’t get home until around 6 p.m., where they recap the day to their parents who will get to see all their kids’ efforts come together during our last day showcase where parents will watch them play and get recognized for their personal growth during the program.