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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

David Mayeda, PhD¹, Kehau Glassco, MA², and Amber Strong, MA². (1) Psychiatry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1441 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1802, Honolulu, HI 96814, (808) 945-1521, mayedad@dop.hawaii.edu, (2) Social Studies, Kailua High School, 451 Ulumanu Dr., Kailua, HI 96734

Youth violence has become increasingly understood as serious public health concern in the United States. In 2005, the Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center (APIYVPC) began working with a high school on Oahu's (Hawaii) east shore to prevent and reduce on- and off-campus youth violence. The school's student-body is predominantly Hawaiian, although there are also relatively high proportions of Caucasian, Filipino, and Samoan students. As part of this effort, APIYVPC staff and two of the school's social studies teachers developed a high school ethnic studies class that aimed to: 1) teach students about the history of ethnic studies, 2) provide students with an enhanced knowledge of diverse ethnic groups in Hawaii and in the continental United States; 3) improve students' critical thinking skills; and 4) supply students with the language and communication skills to talk through conflicts, as opposed to engaging in physical fighting. The class was piloted as an after-school class during the Fall 2005 school semester, and will be offered as an elective class as part of the school's standard curricula, beginning in Fall 2006. This presentation will overview the class curricula and philosophy, highlighting some of the key lesson plans and learning points, as shown from the perspectives of students, teachers, and research staff. Additionally, this presentation will briefly showcase the ethnic studies class's evaluation processes, measures, and results, including a more detailed review of how students came to conceptualize social inequality and work through interpersonal conflicts in a healthy, constructive manner.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Develop an ethnic studies-based intervention/curriculum to prevent and reduce youth violence among high school students.
• Construct an evaluation plan and evaluation measures for an ethnic studies-based intervention/curriculum.
• Articulate how and why an ethnic studies class can reduce and prevent youth violence among diverse groups of high school students.

Keywords: Asian and Pacific Islander, Violence Prevention

Related Web page: www.hawaii.edu/apiyvpc

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation