Friday, April 26, 2024
4/26/2024
Project Title: OSA Well-planned Relationships Are Powerful Applicant Name: Office of Samoan Affairs of California, Inc. Address: 454 E. Carson Plaza Dr, Suite 109, Carson, CA 90746 Contact Phone Numbers (Voice): 310-538-0555 Email Address:katy.cisneros@officeofsamoanaffairs.org Website Address: www.officeofsamoanaffairs.org The Office of Samoan Affairs (OSA) of California, Inc. proposes to implement the OSA Well-planned Relationships Are Powerful (OSA WRAP) program, which targets at least 5,767 (with at least 5,190 completing) youth as defined under the FOA: HHS-2020-ACF-OFA-ZD-1838 Relationships, Education, Advancement, and Development for Youth for Life (READY4Life). Health and wellness statistics separated out for Pacific Islander youth, as opposed to when they are aggregated with Asian Americans, show that Pacific Islanders suffer greater health, economic, and education problems than White or Asian American counterparts. Indeed, Pacific Islanders have high poverty rates, low incomes, low educational attainment, and report high stress and domestic violence. All these factors contribute to unhealthy relationships and marriages perpetuating the same statistics for future generations. OSA seeks funds to provide services that may have a long-term impact on the Pacific Islander community. The overarching long-term goal is for the Pacific Islander community to have healthy relationships and marriages that ensure long-term child and family well-being. To this end, OSA WRAP proposes to work with the Pacific Islander population, ages 14-24, living in California, Oregon, and Washington. The program will expose youth to Marriage and Relationship Education/Skills (MRES) such as communication skills, conflict resolution, problem-solving skills, knowledge of the benefits of marriage, stress and anger management, affection and intimacy, expression and discussion of negotiation skills, financial literacy, parenting skills, and trauma and its effects. OSA WRAP will build upon an existing network of 36 Pacific Islander churches (in California, Oregon and Washington) whose congregations comprise mostly of Samoan, Tongan, Micronesian, Marshallese, and Guamanian communities. Moreover, the program will be integrated into existing church youth groups inviting youth within the church and its surrounding community to participate. OSA WRAP will be using a youth camp and young adult retreat model where MRES education, using curricula from the Dibble Institute, are the main focus for programming. Specifically, three curricula (Love Notes, Mind Matters, and Money Habitudes) will cover skills and information needed for building healthy relationships. Individual assessment of psychosocial issues will be conducted and referral or linkage to services will follow. The youth camps and retreats will consist of two 8-hour days (two weeks apart) where instruction is supplemented with activities that revitalize Pacific Islander culture, history and lineage (such as dance, song, and storytelling). OSA will operate 77 camps/retreats per state in the 5-year period. Community Advisory Boards in each state will not only assist with planning and continuous quality improvement, but also with tailoring programming to include cultural activities specific to the Samoan, Tongan, Micronesian, Marshallese, and Guamanian communities, depending on the Pacific Islander community a particular church services. Booster activities will include messaging quotes or cues for action via text and social media platforms. Lastly, traditional ceremonies marking completion or celebrating successes are important to Pacific Islander communities. As such, culmination events will take place where youth present what they have learned via traditional performances.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
