Teens need to be turned on to living before they can be turned onto learning.
William "Blinky" Rodrguez, L.A. Gang Intervention Counselor
We're stoked! Surfrider Spirit Sessions has found innovative and unique ways to make school, healthy living habits, environmental stewardship, community service, and good citizenry COOL. We start by taking youth surfing and, ultimately, we support them into creating better positions in life for themselves. Spirit Sessions stimulates personal growth, self-esteem, and pro-social activities, teaches life skills, promotes environmental stewardship/sensitivity and cultural awareness, and builds community to help kids redirect their lives in positive ways. Together, we're building a community we can all be proud of. Best of all — kids love us!
About Us
Our Mission
Surfrider Spirit Sessions is an IRS 501(c)(3) Hawai'i non-profit organization that aims to create and deliver holistic, ocean-based experiential education, mentoring programs and activities that connect, enhance, and fill in the gaps within existing nonprofit programs serving adjudicated, at-risk, or vulnerable youth, and to teach ocean awareness and environmental sensitivity to the general community.
Why We Exist
These kids need programs like this to help them break the "box" that they see themselves in and that society sees them in. You are breaking that box wide open and opening their minds to what they can accomplish, and we are seeing the results right now.
Judge R. Mark Browning, Hawai'i Juvenile Drug Court
This program is so important for our kids. They need role models, and the fact that such an amazing assortment of people would take time off to take them surfing is huge. You need to understand, nobody wants to hang out, play and have fun with juvenile delinquents. But without good role models, who else will they learn from?
Bridgette Bennett, Clinical Supervisor, Hawai'i Juvenile Drug Court
Spirit Sessions was created in response to youth needs expressed by Hawaii State Family Court Judges and staff including: adrenalin outlets and healthy and enjoyable physical activity, exposure to positive role models, development of new social circles, cultural awareness and improved self-esteem. See what the courts and parents think about our program.
We support other youth service organizations and help fill the gaps in existing programs. We provide unique and innovative programs inspired by Hawaiian culture and practices and are driven by the support of volunteer mentors from our community. Spirit Sessions provides a much needed access to a greater positive support network for youth. We help change youth perspectives, attitudes and behaviors, provide additional support and perspectives to break the cycle of errant behavior.
We provide a safe and nurturing community kids are proud of. While current support services mark them as "bad" (see Catalyst Chart), Spirit Sessions provides a link to a positive community and new identities as good citizens, role models and potential community leaders. Volunteer involvement is heavy with one or two mentors per student. Youth are literally immersed in a healthy and functional pro-social environment...one they are happy to embrace.
You guys aren't part of the court system. You guys are cool. I like hanging out with this bunch.
Camden, aged 17
The Youth We Serve
We deal with some of the "toughest" kids whose problems, wounds, and challenges run deep, and for whom more accessible youth programs are insufficient. Our core focus is serving youth aged 13-17 years who are directed to our programs by Hawai'i Family Court judges from Hawai'i Girls Court and Hawai'i Juvenile Drug Court. According to the courts, these youth have less than 12-24 months to turn their lives around or they will likely become incarcerated as adults. To make drastic changes they need intensive attention and extensive resources.
They lack basic resources and need support on multiple levels. 50% of our youth are from single-parent families. 55% are Native Hawaiian. 42% live in public assistance (low income) households dependent on food stamps or living in public housing. Many come from economically depressed or rural communities.
Our Philosophy
We don't see "at-risk"; we see future champions and leaders. We believe our youth are "Champions in Training," and we are coaches who support them, push them when needed, and cheer them on to succeed in school, at home, at work, in the community, and in life. We call our teens "Champions in Training" because we've seen their passion and spirit and we know they thrive on challenges. We see their potential and know what they can do.
The teens we serve have the innate capacity to be powerfully positive leaders. Our kids are strong and courageous; they have endured challenges and encountered obstacles the average person will never see in his or her entire lifetime. They've suffered setbacks, and have sometimes found themselves "on the wrong side of the tracks" headed in the wrong direction. Yet they have survived. They have the resilience and power to overcome hardships, redirect their lives, and lead others towards positive change.
Our Approach and Methods
Unique, interactive, daring and engaging: We literally pull the ground out from under our youth, grab their interest, help them recognize their own inherent value, and transform their raw energy into character strengths.
We leverage the teen appeal of the "cool surfer" image to inspire youth to develop new skills, explore new modes of thinking, and embrace a new approach to life. The joy of surfing and accomplishment of catching waves is an instant boost to self-esteem, and surfing together provides a positive bonding experience and enhances trust. Our method of combining one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring, peer mentoring, eco-therapy, experiential environmental education, and athletics stimulates youth participation and leads to strong relationships.
The more connections, the tighter the safety net. We're building a big O'hana (family). Based on the Hawaiian concept that we are all connected, Surfider Spirit Sessions brings together state and local agencies, businesses, and individual community members to support our youth. Through Spirit Sessions, all facets of our community share their resources. Our programs work because we all work together.
Our Impact: We Make a Difference
I've never seen anything like this. These kids never smile. I never see them laugh or have fun. They don't think there is anything good in life that can come without drama or trauma, and they don't think they can be anything better than someone 'surviving.' Now I see them laughing, talking about surf and saving turtles, and they're hanging out with lawyers, doctors and engineers. They can't help but to see life differently. Their goals are changing. Their lives are changing. They are changing.
Judge Karen M. Radius, Presiding Judge, Hawai'i Girls Court (ret.) and Surfrider Spirit Sessions Advisory Board Member
Our success is best measured by the endorsement of the people we serve. Judges, probation officers, counselors, court staff, and the teens have all indicated that our programs are highly desirable and among the most popular, relevant, and effective diversion programs available. We see success in transformation of our students' attitudes, behaviors, activities and achievements, and also by the beneficial impact they have on their peers and other youth. We're receiving more requests for our services from the courts, other non–profits, and the teens themselves.
Can my cousin come next time? He's not in the system or anything, but he heard how much fun it is.
Brock, Spirit Sessions student (to SSS staff)
It's crazy. We've never had non–court affiliated kids asking to be let into a court–related program before.
Joel Tamayo, Juvenile Drug Court Administrator
Here's a quick look at some of our teens and how we've impacted them:
Before Spirit Sessions, Jeani's social activities included running away, skipping school, and stealing cars. Today, Jeani is currently enrolled in college and hopes to become an attorney. She has worked as a Junior Mentor and volunteered as an administrative assistant in the Spirit Sessions office.
Before Spirit Sessions, Kimo was in the Juvenile Justice system for selling drugs to other students. Kimo has embraced the lesson of "paddling hard to catch good waves." He redirected his energy in high school and now has a 4.0 GPA. Today, he is a Junior Mentor Manager, and we often find him using his sales skills and cajoling other teens to quit smoking and live clean. He has graduated from high school and has enrolled in college and continues to mentor new Spirit Session youth.
Before Spirit Sessions, Chris felt abandoned, suffered depression and used to physically cut herself or use drugs to erase her emotional pain. Today Chris is enrolling in college and works two jobs, including an internship with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. She currently serves as a Junior Mentor/Youth Coordinator and is a key staff member of the Spirit Sessions team.
In 2009, Surfrider Spirit Sessions, as part of He'e Nalu Learning Center, received the Ola Pono Award for excellence in promoting safe, healthy, and drug–free lifestyles from the U.S. Department of Education, Safe and Drug–Free Schools, and Communities Program and the Coalition for a Drug–Free Hawai'i. (See Appendix F for media articles and letters of support.)
We've served over 100 adjudicated youth since our first pilot in May 2010. Pre– and post–evaluations, court reports, and data reveal the effectiveness of the Surfrider Spirit Sessions:
Youth gain a sense of achievement and a sense of self-esteem and pride. This builds resiliency and allows them to say "no thank you" to peers who try to entice them to participate in negative behaviors.
Youth reduced recidivism by 30% after participating in Spirit Sessions.
Judges note that youth negative behaviors are significantly reduced after participating in Spirit Sessions.
Court staff report improved communication with family members and a reduction in violent outbursts by youth who complete the Spirit Sessions program.
Before Spirit Sessions, only 16% of the youth expressed an interest in either college or our partner program NALU Studies, a college–level experiential environmental science course. After Spirit Sessions, we saw a 24% increased interest in college and 73% increased interest in NALU Studies.
30% of youth acquired job experience, either paid or through internships, through referrals from our mentors and program partners.
More than 50% of our youth participatnts ask to repeat the program, and more than 75% want more of our services.
This program changed my life. You guys changed my life. The courts told me what not to do, but you guys, the staff and mentors, showed me what I could do and what I could be. I'm going to succeed in life. Now I know I can be a leader and I'm going to be one.
Jeani, age 17, Surfrider Spirit Sessions student & Junior Mentor
History
The Surfrider Spirit Sessions was created in 2006 by Executive Director Cynthia Y.H. Derosier in response to a need expressed by the Hawai'i Girls Court. Inspired by life–messages in Derosier's book The Surfer Spirit and her work as a motivational speaker, Girls Court therapist Emma Pavich asked Cynthia to help "teach the girls the messages found in the book," to which Derosier replied, "The only way they can learn it is to experience it. If you want them to 'get it' we've got to get them surfing." Judge Karen Radius encouraged called the idea "so radical, it just might work." The judge actively championed the proposed pilot program.
After much discussion and exploration, the first Surfrider Spirit Sessions pilot was launched in 2007 as a project of the Surfrider Foundation, O'ahu Chapter and was funded in part by proceeds from the sale of Derosier's book "The Surfer Spirit".
Additional fiscal support from Hawai'i Women's Legal Foundation and the Women's Fund of Hawai'i, provided essential funds to develop a strong and substantial first trial. Initial sessions proved so successful, Judge Radius requested additional sessions and word about the program spread.
In 2007, Juvenile Drug Court's presiding Judge Browning heard about Spirit Sessions and directed boys as well as girls to Spirit Session. By 2008, the program had grown beyond the Surfrider Foundation's mission and after completing three successful judge–requested pilot programs, we were graciously offered funding from the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund at the Hawai'i Community Foundation to further develop our programs.
In June 2008, Derosier co-founded the He'e Nalu Learning Center, a fiscally sponsored project of Community Links Hawai'i (CLH). Derosier served as the Center's Executive Director and the Surfrider Spirit Sessions was its cornerstone program. With the downturn in the economy and the closure of CLH, He'e Nalu Learning Center embarked on a corporate reorganization that effectively dissolved the organization and separated its core programs into independent organizations.
In December 2009, Surfrider Spirit Sessions became an independent non–profit corporation, and received IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status in March 2010. Since the initial launch the Spirit Sessions team has continued to gain momentum and grow in knowledge and impact. We are continually striving to build a strong, sustainable base.
Our strength rests on the human touch, personal involvement, and spirit of community involvement. We've learned that we aren't just catching waves and changing lives, we're building a stronger community for all. The Surfrider Spirit Sessions O'hana continues to grow, learn and serve.
Board of Directors
Phil Kinnicutt
President
President & CEO Kinnicutt Consulting, L.L.P.
Mr. Kinnicutt is a seasoned consultant with extensive experience as a non-profit board member and advisor, as well as a dynamic marketing and public relations executive. His 40-plus year career in Hawai'i includes serving as Director of Marketing and Brand Management for the University of Hawai'i at Manoa; Managing Director of Ogilvy & Mather, Hawai'i; and Director of Public Relations for HMSA.
Phil is committed to community development and has over 30 years of experience serving on nonprofit boards. He is Board Secretary and Chair of the Communications Committee of GBS/CIDP Foundation International, headquartered in Pennsylvania. He is also Secretary of Aloha Care, and a director of the Shidler College of Business Alumni Association and the Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (HANO). He is a past board president and board member of the Waikiki Health Center, and has served on numerous other boards including: Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i, Better Business Bureau of Hawai'i, Hanahauoli School, Hawai'i Council of Camp Fire, Inc., Honolulu Advertising Federation, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Kaneohe Yacht Club, Neighborhood Justice Center, Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, and the University of Hawai'i, College of Business Administration Advisory Board.
Phil has lived in Hawai'i since 1963, and while he no longer surfs, he remains an avid fisherman and deep-sea ocean lover.
Dinny Landsdowne
Vice President
Ms. Lansdowne has over 25 years experience as a successful creative entrepreneur and marketing consultant. A former eco-fashion designer, Dinny's lines sold across North America and in her own Vancouver boutique.
In 1990, she established her signature line, Dinny and manufactured, promoted and distributed her apparel designs across Canada. She personally managed all aspects of the company and garnered awards and media coverage. After several years, Dinny's warehouse and manufacturing center suffered a major flood, which wiped out the company's inventory and all her latest goods. Undaunted, she began consulting for other fashion companies while rebuilding her design business as Style Box Clothing Co. The new line had a socially responsible focus, using eco-friendly fabrics, contributing 5% to non-profits.
After a health crisis in 2004, Dinny closed her company but continued her strategic business consulting focusing on socially responsible entrepreneurs. Her clients include creative entrepreneurs, business coaches, speakers, authors and healers and direct sales leaders.
As demands for her time and advice have increased, Ms. Lansdowne is once again recreating her business. Her newest endeavor includes the creation of a new social network mentoring system to be launched in 2011. InspiredMentors.com is designed to train and support creative and social venture entrepreneurs in developing sustainable businesses that showcase their talents while creating positive change.
Dinny travels extensively and works with clients throughout North America, Australia, Hong Kong and Hawaii. She volunteers and contributes to several causes including: Dress for Success and Pivot Legal (Hope in Shadows Project). Dinny's first surf experience was as a guest as Spirit Sessions and she's been feeling the stoke ever since.
Shannon Sheets
Treasurer
Vice President, Bank of Hawai'i
Ms. Sheets has over 13 years of financial analysis experience in the banking, affordable housing, and real estate industries. A graduate of Miliken University, she began her career as a Credit Analyst with Bank One in Springfield, Illinois. After serving as a financial analyst, senior analyst, credit approval officer and assistant vice president in business banking, Shannon went to work for an affordable housing developer, National Church Residences.
In 2005, Shannon said aloha to cold winters and moved to Hawai'i and into a position with Bank of Hawai'i. She then became involved in affordable housing development, serving as Project Manager with EAH Housing. Returning to Bank of Hawai'i, Shannon quickly rose to a position in Credit Review, where she currently provides regular updates on credit risk levels to the Audit Committee, Board of Directors, and management team.
Shannon is actively involved in the community, serving as Secretary/Treasurer of Hui Kahale, Inc., an affiliate of EAH Housing, focusing on affordable housing development. She is also involved with the River of Life Mission, Institute for Human Services, and Interfaith Hospitality Network (Columbus, OH).
Shannon loves all types of sports, surfing, kayaking and ice hockey. Since 2008, she has served as a volunteer Surf Mentor to court-involved girls in the Surfrider Spirit Sessions program. Her ability to connect with the girls is phenomenal, as is her ability to rock it on Guitar Hero.
Kristine K Yoo
Secretary
Deputy Prosecutor, State of Hawai'i
Ms. Yoo is a well-respected attorney and prosecutor in the State of Hawaii. She attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she edited the Hastings Women's Law Journal, spent time abroad at the University of Leiden (the Netherlands), and served as president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association. She clerked for the Honorable Martin J. Jenkins, U.S. District Court, San Francisco, and worked for a California law firm. Kristine served as an attorney for Legal Aid Society of Hawaii before joining the Hawaii State Prosecutor's Office.
As a prosecutor, Kristine is involved in all aspects of the case, from initial case analysis, to conducting felony trials, to verdict. She also makes time to mentor summer interns, works with police recruits on courtroom presentation skills, serves as a judge for trial advocacy classes, and facilitates mock trials for the Citizens' Police Academy.
Kristine is also active on the bar, serving as a director of the Young Lawyers Division of the Hawaii State Bar Association and as a Barrister in the American Inns of the Court IV (Hawaii Chapter). She is licensed to practice law in Hawaii and California.
When not practicing law, Kristine can be found surfing, outrigger canoe paddling, and hiking. Since 2007, Kristine has volunteered as a Surf Mentor with the Surfrider Spirit Sessions program and has endeared herself to some of our most challenging girls. She frequently wears the coolest t-shirts in the group.
Advisory Board
Honorable Judge Karen Radius, Ret.
Hawai'i State Family Court, First Judiciary
The Honorable Judge Radius is the founding judge of the Hawaii State Juvenile Drug Court and Girls Court, which is one of the first of its kind in the nation. Though officially retired, she volunteers her time to preside over Girls Court.
Judge Radius has served in every division of the First Circuit Family Court, including serving as the lead judge of the Domestic Division where she heard divorce trials involving contested child custody, visitation, and other child related issues, as well as property division and financial issues. She was also lead judge of the Special Division, hearing petitions for restraining orders in cases involving domestic violence, guardianships, adoptions, and mental health commitment cases. Judge Radius has presided over child abuse and neglect/child protective services (CPS) cases, and juvenile law violations and status offenses. In 2007, Judge Radius was named Jurist of the Year by Chief Justice Ronald Moon.
Judge Radius is profoundly committed to supporting at-risk and troubled youth and is an avid supporter of innovative and impactful methods. She is an avid reader, and often will join her Girls Court cohorts in their surf sessions.
Jeffery Schwartz
Kela Associates, Strategic Planning Consultant, Executive Coach
Non-Profit Development Specialist
Mr. Schwartz possesses an enormous range of skills and vast experience in developing and enacting public policy, facilitating non-profit organizational effectiveness and strategic leadership, as well as formulating and implementing successful business and entrepreneurial endeavors.
Jeff is a passionate promoter for a better world. He served as Counsel for Environmental Legislation to the U.S. House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee and was instrumental in the enactment of landmark legislation including the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977, and helped initiate the first congressional hearings on the ozone depleting potential of chlorinated fluorocarbons in consumer products. As spokesman for DPT, Jeff helped draft and get enacted the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, and served as a public member of Health and Human Services Department's National Advisory Committee on Childhood Vaccines. Mr.Schwartz also served as program officer, grant maker and Director and Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness for the Fannie Mae Foundation and serves as President of The Social
Venture Capital Foundation.
Mr. Schwartz co-founded, helped build and manage Jellinek, Schwartz & Connolly, Inc. (JSC), an environmental science, policy, and management consulting firm serving Fortune 1000 clients. JSC was then sold to a publicly traded company.
Jeff has moved from DC to live in his dream home on Maui which he shares with his wife and four dogs and cat. His Spirit Sessions team swears he will surf one day.
Takio Kaleo Mogi
Real Estate Broker
Business and Real Estate Advisor
Takio Mogi is an accomplished businessman, dedicated Rotarian, and passionate Spirit Sessions mentor. He has over two decades of experience analyzing investments and business systems, consulting, and negotiating multi-million dollar contracts for Fortune 100 Companies and local corporations.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Takio graduated from Kalaheo High School, then started his college career at the University of Hawaii. He went on to UCLA where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Architecture then obtained an MBA in Finance and Strategy and Property Lay from Yale Law School. He remained in the East Coast as a Price Waterhouse Manager in New York City where he advised his Fortune 100 clients on real estate strategy and performed extensive statistical analysis. While there, he also implemented a system to manage Bank of America's $7 billion in real estate holdings featuring 4,800 properties and proved $17 million potential annual operating savings.
A local boy at heart, Takio missed Hawaii and returned in (year). He applied his wealth of experience and talents to negotiate large corporate real estate sales and leases, and generated quarterly market analysis for Honolulu 5 primary submarkets. He also maintained Honolulu's most accurate database of Class A and B office space.
Passionate about drug use prevention and treatment, Takio founded and Co-Chaired the Rotary Families in Crisis program which included weekly support and counseling groups for family members of drug addicts. He also volunteered as a Project Coordinator at Queens Medical Center 2009 where he worked closely with doctors to understand the effects of HIV and crystal methamphetamines on the brain. Takio has been an active and dedicated mentor with Surfrider Spirit sessions since 2008. He can often be seen in Waikiki on catching waves on his SUP.
Staff
Cynthia Y. H. Derosier
Founder
Executive Director/CEO, Program Director
Ms. Derosier leverages her experience as an advertising and communications business owner, specializing in marketing communications, corporate relationship building, and strategic planning and facilitating, into managing Surfrider Spirit Sessions' organizational development, public relations, social and corporate partner outreach, and fundraising.
Cynthia is the author of "The Surfer Spirit," the book which inspired the Surfrider Spirit Sessions Program. She established and began implementing Spirit Sessions in 2007. Since that time, she has also conducted corporate team-building programs that incorporate the Spirit Sessions to benefit the non-profit organization. She continues to lead the Spirit Sessions programs and oversees program development.
Born and raised in Hawai'i, Cynthia is a graduate of I'olani School. She attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where she earned a BFA with a focus in Advertising Art Direction and Graphic Design. She has over 20 years of experience in brand building and relationship marketing, working with top agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather (NYC, Australia and Hawai'i), J. Walter Thompson (NYC), and Cohn & Wells (NYC).
She attended Columbia University Teachers College, working towards a Masters in Child Art Therapy, when she returned to Hawaii to work as a lead team member on The Hawaii Convention Center account. She is also certified as a graphic recorder, strategic planner and team building facilitator.
Cynthia is an active member of the Organization of Women Leaders (OWL) and is on the Executive Committee of The Surfrider Foundation, O'ahu Chapter. She has paddled in outrigger canoes and in sail canoes including long distance travel from Oahu to Kauai. She also scuba dives, draws, paints, and of course, she surfs!
Samson "Uncle Santa Sam" Rodrigues
Program Manager
Surf Instructor
Mr. Rodrigues has spent his lifetime supporting others and has over 40 years of experience in social services. In 2010 Sam retired from Hawaii State Family Services where he last served as a case manager for families in crisis. In addition to monitoring these families and their children, "Uncle" Sam taught effective parenting skills so children could be successfully reunited with their parents. He has extensive training in all facets of child and family welfare including: identifying and treating sexual abuse and domestic violence, dealing with aggressive clients, human development and adolescence, effective parenting, substance abuse identification and treatment, gang awareness and prevention, and grief, trauma and suicide prevention.
Sam is an avid waterman and has worked as a Waikiki Beach Boy on weekends for over 20 years. He is Spirit Sessions' original surf instructor and worked with founder, Cynthia Derosier, to develop the program from the very start. (In fact, Sam is one of the instructors who first taught Cynthia how to surf!). Uncle Sam has a natural warmth and charisma that draws people to him and commands love and respect from our youth. He has been featured in local commercials as a "Surfing Santa," and appears in several surf films.
True to his Hawaiian heritage, Sam loves outrigger canoe paddling as well as surfing. He has competed in the Molokai Channel over a dozen times and has raced all over the world including in Tahiti, Rarotonga, New Zealand, Australia and France. When he's not working, you can often find him in a canoe or working at the beach stand in Waikiki.
