Dating is a highly desirable experience during adolescence and serves as an important developmental milestone. This study explored healthy and unhealthy dating as a step toward improving adolescent well-being. Six focus group interviews were conducted with high school-aged girls and boys (N = 35). Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed…

Objective: This article highlights the importance of incorporating ethnocultural contexts in prevention research and programming. We provide a case example from our research in youth violence prevention in Hawai'i. Methods: Data were collected in multiethnic communities on O'ahu. Focus groups were conducted with high school-aged youths of Native…

The high prevalence of teen dating violence (TDV) nationally suggests that it is a public health problem in need of intervention. However, there is limited information about what constitutes TDV in the eyes of teens. Equally limited is an understanding of these parameters among diverse cultures. To fill these gaps, the current study conducted…

Background: Escalation of youth violence within a large geographic school-complex area in southeastern rural Hawaii became a major problem in 2006. How cultural forces impact the problem was an impetus to examine youth violence from perspectives of adults and children in rural communities. Gathering these data was an essential first step toward…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether school experiences, school performance, and other risk-protective factors were related to violence among Hawaiian, Filipino, and Samoan youths residing in Hawai'i. This study analyzed survey data (N = 325) collected in three high schools having concentrations of Filipino, Hawaiian, and Samoan…

Dating violence victimization is an important public health issue. Recent studies on minority youths have found higher risks of dating violence victimization compared to White youths. This study examined the influence of acculturation components on youths' experiences of dating violence by utilizing data from a survey of 193 Samoan and Filipino…

Counselors have a professional and ethical responsibility to deal with the complex and pervasive forms of violence that are manifested in our society. This article provides a description of a theoretical training model that was used to build comprehensive violence prevention programs in 4 elementary schools in Hawaii. Data generated from an…

Evaluation of after-school programs that are culturally and place-based and promote positive youth development among minority and indigenous youths has not been widely published. The present evaluation is the first of its kind of an after-school, youth-risk prevention program called Hui Malama O Ke Kai (HMK), that emphasizes Native Hawaiian values…

This report provides an external evaluation of the fourth year (March 1, 1999-February 28, 2000) of the Native Hawaiian Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Program (NHSDFSCP). Previous evaluations recommended emphasis of three program components: (1) information development and dissemination; (2) education; and (3) school and…

A framework of goals, policy statements, and implementing activites is set forth aimed at integrating the different kinds of environment improvement activities now underway in the Hawaii Department of Education; expanding and improving those activities in orderly ways in the future; and suggesting new directions. Five areas are targeted for…

In this article, the author describes the Violence Prevention Through Cooperative Learning (VPTCL) project. Developed in 1999 by the Hawai'i Friends of Civic and Law Related Education, this hands-on program aims to support at-risk secondary school students and help them learn problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills. These skills are…