Focus Hawaii Breakthroughs for Youth at Risk

Authors

• Lance Chase
• Lisa Zastrow
• Sharon Lester

Files

Description

Hosted by Lance Chase, this 1996 episode of Focus Hawaii highlights the transformative work of Breakthroughs for Youth at Risk, a volunteer‑driven program supporting teens ages 15–20 who face serious personal and social challenges. Program leaders Lisa Zastrow and Sharon Lester explain how at‑risk youth are referred by schools, psychologists, probation officers, and outreach agencies, then voluntarily enroll in a demanding five‑ to six‑day residential course led by trained professionals. Through intensive, day‑long sessions—often up to 18 hours—the participants confront the roots of their struggles and experience emotional “breakthroughs” that help them regain confidence, purpose, and connection. Volunteers continue mentoring each youth for a full year, meeting weekly and offering consistent encouragement as teens work toward self‑selected goals such as improving family relationships, finishing school, or finding employment. The episode features moving interviews with two graduates, Novaʻa Banks and Kelly Takayama, who describe their difficult pasts, the goals that motivated them, the role models who believed in them, and the life changes that followed their participation. Their stories reveal a program that empowers young people to discover self‑worth, build trust, take responsibility for their choices, and envision a future filled with possibility.

Length of Video

00:29:53

File Size

248.1 MB

Archives Call Number

22.FH

Air Date

Winter 1-30-1996

Keywords

Lance Chase, Focus Hawaii, Breakthroughs for Youth at Risk, at‑risk youth Hawaii, youth rehabilitation, residential youth program, teen mentoring, volunteer mentoring, Lisa Zastrow, Sharon Lester, Novaʻa Banks, Kelly Takayama, intensive youth intervention, youth goal‑setting, juvenile support programs, Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility, community volunteers, youth empowerment, personal breakthrough stories, Hawaii social programs, teen counseling, youth transformation

Recommended Citation

Chase, Lance; Zastrow, Lisa; and Lester, Sharon, "Focus Hawaii Breakthroughs for Youth at Risk" (1996). Focus Hawaii. 9.
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/focushawaii/9