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DONATE
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- A Gala For Hope

Dreaming of Aloha Achievement Program

Home / Dreaming of Aloha Achievement Program

Now accepting applications

Application opens August 9, 2024

Deadline to apply August 16, 2024

Dreaming of Aloha is a six-month life-skills achievement program that provides monthly workshops on topics related to financial literacy, higher education, etiquette, CPR / First Aid certification, resume building, and giving back to the community. This program culminates with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Oahu, Hawaii.

Qualifications

Applicants must be 14-17 years old and enrolled in high school or an alternative education program.

Applicants must be in foster care, kinship care, at-risk or adopted.

Applicants must reside in Southern California and be able to participate in all in-person workshops, information sessions, and social gatherings.

Must be active and/or previously involved with the US4K Hanai Mentoring Program for a minimum of one year.

Must have attended a minimum of one US4K surf therapy camp.

In order to earn the all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii, teens must participate in workshops, events, and information sessions scheduled from August to November. These workshops and events are mandatory; A participant may be dropped from the program if they miss an outing.

Deadline to Apply	Aug 16
Applicants Selected and Notified	Aug 23
Virtual Program Orientation	Aug 28
Volunteer as a guide at Surf w/ the Blind & Visually Impaired	Sept 8
Financial Literacy	September
Volunteer Service Project	October
College Campus Tour	October
CPR / First Aid	November
Resume Building / Interviews	November
Etiquette	December

**The above dates are subject to change.

Trip to Oahu:

This all-expenses-paid trip usually takes place in December. The trip includes an introduction to Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures, water-based activities, outdoor experiences, meeting influential figures, involvement in a local community service project, and a guided tour of the University of Hawaii, Manoa. There will be 6 teens and 6 US4K team members invited to attend.

Youth must be willing to actively participate in all outdoor activities, which may include:

Hiking
Kayaking
Paddle boarding
Snorkeling
Surfing
Swimming
Long outdoor walks w/ slight inclines (ie: touring a college campus, walking in botanical gardens)

Health

Youth are required to receive a physical clearance from a physician between the months of October and November to participate in the trip to Hawaii.
Youth who exhibit symptoms of Covid or other illnesses near workshop and/or travel dates are required to notify US4K staff immediately.

Deadlines

The deadline to submit your application is August 16th. Applicant and caregiver interviews will take place mid August.

Finalists will be notified August 23, 2024.

Application Process:

The DOA application nomination process will have two segments: The Caregiver Nomination Form and the Teen Application Form.

The Teen Application Form has three components: All About Me Questionnaire, Life-skills Survey, and an essay or video submission.

Caregiver please complete this application on behalf of the teen you are nominating.

Caregiver Nomination Form

CAREGIVER NOMINATION FORM

Please sign up each nominee individually. All sections must be filled out or your child’s application will not be considered.

YesNo
YesNo

Guardian/Chaperone Name *

Phone: *

Email: *

Does your child qualify for free or reduced lunch? *yesno

Nominee Name (First and Last): *

Nominee Date of Birth: *

Nominee Age: *

Is this your teen's first involvement with an Urban Surf 4 Kids program?*yesno

Youth Home Situation (Choose one): *Foster YouthAt-risk YouthGroup Home ResidentKinship YouthAdopted Youth

Please describe what kind of childhood trauma your child has experienced that would qualify them for our programs if they have not experienced foster care:

Has youth experienced juvenile hall/probation? *yesno

Describe:

Has youth experienced homelessness in the last 1-5 years? *yesno

Is youth a survivor of abuse, abandonment, neglect? *yesno

Please describe trauma and any important facts we should know: (e.g. Past trauma with water or loud noises, gets uncomfortable around men, shuts down when hearing yelling, sensory sensitive, does not like being touched, allergies flare up in summertime) *

Please describe any special needs your child has: (e.g. high-functioning autism, PTSD, ADHD, hearing impaired, fetal alcohol syndrome, asthma, visual processing disorder, etc.)

List any food allergies::

Would your child be taking medication during the trip to Hawaii? *yesno

If yes, please list medication(s):

Has your child experienced any recent changes in behavior and/or mood? *yesno

If yes, please describe:

Athlete swim knowledge: *beginnerintermediateadvanced

Athlete surf knowledge: *never surfed beforeplayed on a boogie boardsurfed 1-3 timessurfed 4-10 times

Athlete ocean experience: *first time to the oceanplayed at the beach but not in the watercomfortable in the ocean/water

How many times has your teen been to Urban Surf 4 Kids’ events? *

Ethnicity (Choose one): *Native/American IndianAsian/ Asian AmericanBlack/African AmericanNative Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderCaucasian/WhiteLatinx/HispanicMulti-Racial (2+ races/ethnicities)Additional/Other ethnicity (please specify)

Other Ethnicity:

Athlete's preferred pronouns (ex: She/Her, He/Him, They/Them)

Does your teen have a gender preference for a potential mentor?

Why should your child be considered for this program? *

How will this program benefit your child? *

Does your child have experience with overnight trips? *

How comfortable is your child flying? *

Are there any medical concerns we should be aware of if your child joins the week-long trip to Hawaii? *

Address *

City *

State *

Zip *

Do you grant Urban Surf 4 Kids permission to to take photos and/or videos of your child for private, public, or media purposes? *yesno

* I agree to the Urban Surf 4 Kids Code of Conduct and Waiver

————————————–

Teen applicant ages 14-17 must complete this portion:

Teen Application Form

TEEN APPLICATION FORM

Teens, please fill out this portion independently. All sections must be filled out or your application will not be considered.

YesNo
YesNo

Name *

Email: *

Part A: Life-skills

We will be developing our life-skills courses to fit the needs of our applicants. Our life-skills courses will likely be beginner friendly, unless all applicants selected have indicated they are all proficient in a particular subject. On a scale of 1 to 5, what is your knowledge of the following subjects?

On a scale of 1 to 5, what is your knowledge of the following subjects?

1 = "This is new to me"
2 = "I know a little bit"
3 = "I think I know enough to get by"
4 = "I've done it before"
5 = "I am almost an expert"

Volunteering in the community *12345

Opening a bank account *12345

Balancing a checkbook *12345

Building your credit score *12345

Dining etiquette *12345

Creating a resume *12345

How to apply for a job *12345

How to make a great impression during a job interview *12345

Navigating financial aid for college *12345

What to look for when selecting a college, trade school, or apprenticeship *12345

Interacting with the blind and visually impaired community *12345

General etiquette *12345

What to do if someone is not breathing *12345

Basic first-aid *12345

Part B: All About Me

What are 3 hobbies or activities that make you happy? *

What are 3 hobbies or activities you’d like to learn in the future? *

What are 3 things you like about yourself? *

What are 3 things you would like to work or improve on? *

What are 3 life-skills you’d like to learn about? *

Examples of Life-skills can be found at 21 Essential Life Skills For Teens To Learn (momjunction.com)

Do you have plans of pursuing additional schooling after high school? (community college, 4 year University, trade school, apprenticeship, etc) *yesno

If yes, which one?

How do you calm yourself during a stressful situation? *

Examples of coping mechanisms can be found at 30 Healthy Coping Skills for Teens (psychcentral.com)

What are 2 healthy coping mechanisms that you would like to learn more about? *

Part C: ESSAY SUBMISSION (ESSAY OR VIDEO)

Please view the sample essay to use as a guide for your essay and answer the questions.
You can copy/paste it in the text box below or attach it in pdf or doc form to the upload files box.

Essay:

Max upload (mp4, mov, pdf, doc) 100MB

Please give a video upload 1-5 minutes to compress after upload.

* I agree to the Urban Surf 4 Kids Code of Conduct and Waiver

SAMPLE ESSAY SUBMISSION (ESSAY OR VIDEO)

*Youth are required to select 3 essay prompts below to help us learn more about them and why they would like to participate in this program. Applicants must select 3 of the 6 topics to write or record a video response about. Each paragraph should be at minimum 4 sentences and reviewed for grammatical errors prior to submission.

If selecting the video option, please obtain caregiver’s consent prior to submission and dress responsibly. Due to size attachment limits, videos should not exceed 2 minutes. If a video file exceeds the maximum size to submit on our website, videos can be submitted to info@us4k.orgK instead. Please use the text “Video for DOA Program” in the subject line of your email.

Paragraph 1: Include your name, age, grade, interests or hobbies, and what you want to be when you grow up.

Example: My name is Gabriella and I am a 15 year old sophomore at Green Crest High school. I enjoy playing sports and making art in my free time. My all-time favorite hobbies are soccer, roller skating, cooking, and drawing. I have recently been interested in making pottery and learning how to surf. Although I am not the best at these activities, I have a blast spending my time doing these with friends. When I grow up, I hope to teach art to elementary schools or a soccer coach.

Paragraph 2: Why do you want to participate in the program?

I want to participate in this program because I’ve never had the opportunity to travel before. Growing up, Hawaii Five-O was my favorite tv show. The lush forests and crystal clear water has always been captivating to me and it is one of my biggest dreams to see those stunning sceneries before I turn 21. I also think the life-skills taught in this program will be beneficial for when I become an adult and am living on my own.

Paragraph 3: Is there anything special or interesting about you that you would like for us to know?

Something special I want you to know is that I was recently recognized for good behavior with my teacher. This is a big deal for me because I have a lot of energy and it is sometimes hard for me to stay quiet when my teacher is speaking. I have been working hard with tutors after school and got a B on my midterm exam. My foster mom was so happy that she rewarded me with ice cream from Mr. Frosties afterwards.

Paragraph 4: Who is a positive role model in your life and what are the influences they’ve had on you?

A positive role model in my life is my best friend’s mother, Anna. She is the first consistent adult I’ve had in my life and the impacts have been tremendous. Anna is like a mother to me and is always there to listen and provide encouragement when I have tough days. She recently introduced me to using physical exercise, such as going on a jog around the neighborhood, as a coping mechanism whenever I am going through something. She has positively influenced me to be strong, resilient, and more understanding of others. I am very thankful to have an adult like her in my life.

Paragraph 5: What do you envision yourself doing after high school?

After high school, my goal is to attend a local community college to learn about entrepreneurship. After graduating, I want to work hard for 5 years and save up money to open up a cat cafe shop in San Francisco one day. Opening an animal cafe has been an ultimate dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I saw a Youtube video in 3rd grade and have been inspired to help animals since. I hope my cat cafe can be a safe space for all customers and the calming environment will bring joy to everyone that visits.

Paragraph 6: What does a perfect future look like to you?

A perfect future to me means being happy with my life. I think I will be able to achieve this by having positive individuals in my life, working a job I enjoy, playing softball on weekends, maintaining friendships, and living close to the beach. Although I’m still deciding what I want to do career-wise, I know I want one that is involved with helping animals. I hope to one day adopt 2 puppies and a cat from an animal shelter.

OR
PART C: SAMPLE VIDEO SUBMISSION

***The 2024 Dreaming of Aloha Program was made possible thanks to our generous supporters including, a $10K grant made by an anonymous donor and US4K Gala attendees. Thank you for believing in our mission.