This is our Mayor of Kauai, Maryanne
W. Kusaka. She was elected to office in November of 1994. As she
campaigned for office. island residents expressed their concern about the
future of our youth. In a bold step forward, Mayor Kusaka created the Youth
Programs Office. Being a former teacher for over 30 years, she understood
the importance of building foundations for the future. She hired Sharon
Agnew to be the Youth Programs Coordinator for the County of Kauai.
This is Sharon Agnew, also a former teacher and program director. Sharon has been working with the community to build a 10-Year Program for Youth based on principle-centered values, quality education, and training youth in life skills. In both 1994 and 1995 the Office of the Mayor sponsored the Mayor's Conference for Youth, where teens from all the communities of the island were invited to participate in an all-day conference.
The outcome of the 1995 conference was that our youth charted
their course for the future, telling the community those things which they
would value most. Their future vision included things such as participation
in local government, preservation of the environment, increased youth activities,
decreases in teen pregnancies and prevention of HIV/AIDS .
The important thing to note, and something that makes Kauai unique, is that
we have a community and local government who are interested in planning
for the future by involving youth in the process. The Mayor and Sharon work
together as partners in a shared commitment to create a better future for
our youth. We would love to hear what other communities are doing to support
their youth.
