INFORMATIVE WORKSHOPS

Gavin McKiernan
“Television’s Downward Spiral –
Keeping Children from Going Down the Tube”

Gavin McKiernan is the National Grassroots Director for the Parents Television Council (PTC), an advocacy group dedicated to protecting children from graphic sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media. In this position, Gavin directs a national network of more than 6,000 volunteers. He trains local leaders for grassroots chapters across the country and helps these volunteers to become active in their community.

Gavin successfully mobilized the PTC’s membership to encourage state government officials to pass legislation restricting the sale of violent video games to minors. This effort has so far led to the passage of similar legislation in California, Illinois and Michigan, with more states expected to follow in the coming year.

Previously, Gavin worked for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. As Director of the Huntington Beach Boys and Girls Club, Gavin provided educational, athletic, and recreational programs daily for more than 300 children between the ages of 5 and 18. In 2003, Gavin and his staff were awarded the prestigious Honor Award for best overall Boys and Girls Club program in the nation. Prior to his work with the Boys and Girls Clubs, Gavin worked as a Program Instructor for the Close Up Foundation, where he taught civics and US government to high school students from across the country.

Ronald Dietel, Ed.D

“What Parents Need to Know About Testing”

Ronald Dietel, Ed.D., is assistant director for research use and communications at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California, Los Angeles. From December 2001 to December 2005, he was a member of the La Cañada (California) Unified School District Governing Board, including one year as president and one year as vice president of the board. Dietel has written and directed a number of video programs on educational testing, prominently Assessment Models, which was a finalist for the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. He is the author of "Get Smart! Nine Sure Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in School," Wiley/Jossey Bass, 2006.

Carolyn Wright

Director of Drama Education

“The Power of Performing Arts –
Connecting Professional Theatre to the Cirriculum”

Watch a performance of Wolftales, a touring theatrical production for elementary students and learn how it can be incorporated into teachers’ curriculum.

A long-time teaching artist, Carolyn has worked as a drama specialist for Maui Academy of Performing Arts' (MAPA) "Voices" program since 1998.  She is a lead artist educator for the Arts First Partnership, advocating for arts education and mentoring classroom teachers in the Maui Arts and Cultural Center’s ‘Arts in Education’ program.  Prior to moving to Maui in 1991, Carolyn performed in and directed shows for Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program in the San Francisco Bay Area. She performed in elementary and high schools as a founding member of the touring troupe.  Carolyn earned her BA in Political Science from Duke University and her MA in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix.  She is a licensed elementary school teacher in Hawai‘i and an active volunteer at her children’s school. She lives Upcountry with her husband, son and two daughters.

Donna Fouts and Victoria Suyat

“Fundraising 101”

Donna Fouts and Victoria Suyat of United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii have published a new book, “Fundraising 101”, a practical guide for ordinary people to raise funds for their clubs, teams and organizations.  A program on this practical, relevant topic will help the multitude of parent groups needing funding and to gain ideas, tips, and hints on how to fundraise.

Lora Yadao, Parent & Local PTA Unit Leader

King Kamehameha III PTA

“How to Grow Your Membership”

Membership is the lifeblood of PTA and without members, a local unit will cease to exist. How successful are your membership recruitment and retention efforts?  Are membership drives held only once at the beginning of the school year or on an ongoing, year-round basis?  A successful membership campaign requires time, commitment, and planning.  Attend this workshop and learn how to conduct a successful membership development program from a unit who has successfully achieved the mission of One Voice for Every Child.  Whether you’re a membership chair, a member of your local unit board, or a parent volunteer, this workshop is for you.

Jocelyn Pratt
Elan Learning Institute

Marketing Director & Trainer

“End Bullying Now”

Jocelyn Pratt has called Hawaii "home" for 21 years. She has 25 plus years in marketing and the customer service industries. Having worked with Elan Enterprises LLC both as training support and corporate trainer for 15 years, she is dedicated to sharing "life skills" tools with students of all ages. She is a graduate of the original "Academy Elan".

Jocelyn's driving force as a facilitator/trainer is to assist others in recognizing their potential and worth as an individual. Her goal is to share proven tools to support self- development so that others may experience a more successful and fulfilling life. With a background in theatre and entertainment she brings warmth and spirit to her trainings.

As well as speaking locally for organizations, Jocelyn has also been in leadership roles in women's organizations such as Professional Women's Network and P.O.W.E.R. Teams. She is also an active participant in the parent program at Aikahi Elementary School. As performing arts liaison she has provided a strong support for the performing arts in education.

Jocelyn has supported World Youth Network as volunteer since it's inception in 1996. She joined the WYN team as grant administrator and school liaison in 2001 and is committed to getting WYN's character development curriculums to as many students and teachers as possible. She is responsible for introducing the curriculums to the schools, coordinating in-service trainings and conducting teacher trainings.

D. Trinidad Hunt

Co-Founder, World Youth Network (WYN) International
Internationally Recognized Speaker and Best Selling Author

“Societal and Emotional Education for Children”

Trinidad is a former classroom teacher and internationally renowned author, keynote speaker and corporate consultant/trainer with over 33 years in the field of human development and curriculum writing and program development. Trinidad is co-founder along with Lynne M. Truair of three companies, Elan Enterprises LLC, Elan Asia Pacific and the World Youth Network International (WYN).

Trinidad has a 20 Year Vision to provide youth with the opportunity to discover who they are through the development of effective youth programs for self-discovery and empowerment. Thirty years of research and training has now given her broad knowledge and experience on the subject of Bullying, and has now taken her internationally with her newest Anti bullying curriculum “Breaking Out of the World Game” and soon to be published book “Hurt People Hurt People.

WYN is dedicated to helping youths, parents, teachers, and administrators shape a new context for life and learning. They are committed to preparing today’s students with the character education and skills equal to the challenges that humanity will face in the millennium.

Dr. Claudio Nigg

“Fun 5: A Physical Activity and Nutrition Program for Kids”

Dr. Nigg was a research assistant professor at the Health Promotion Partnership and the Program in Gerontology at the University of Rhode Island where he was Project Director for a large experimental public health intervention trial addressing nutrition and exercise behavior within older adults (the SENIOR project). Currently, he is an Associate Professor in the the Social and Behavioral Health Sciences Program in the Department of Public Health Sciences and Epidemiology at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

His areas of interest include health and exercise psychology, youth, aging, theories of behavior change and using behavior modification techniques for the motivation to engage in health behaviors, specifically focusing on exercise/physical activity and multiple health behavior change. His work to date includes several experimental exercise interventions, theoretical investigations and stage-based intervention studies with youth and older adults.

Fun 5: A Physical Activity and Nutrition Program - Dissemination in Elementary PE Programs and Afterschool Plus (A+) Programs. Funded by the Hawai‘i Medical Service Association, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and the Hawaii Medical Service Association Foundation.

Natalie Ehmka

“Home Drug Testing as a Prevention Tool”

Natalie serves as the Program Coordinator for Project 7th Grade. Project 7th Grade is an innovative, national program designed to dramatically reduce drug use and abuse among youth, through education and proactive prevention.

As the Program Coordinator, Ms. Ehmka works closely with school districts, principals, law enforcement officials, community organizations, and the media to promote Project 7th Grade as a successful drug prevention program for parents of middle school students. Natalie also serves as the primary presenter for Project 7th Grade throughout the country.

Natalie has spent nearly ten years as a successful speaker and presenter and has been nationally recognized for her speaking abilities.  She has always been actively involved on the speech team, and has won many awards and scholarships for her speaking abilities at both the state and national levels, including the opportunity to represent the state of Texas at the Sons of the American Revolution National Oratorical Competition to finish third , the Sun Devil Scholarship Award, and being a National Semifinalist in Rhetorical Criticism at the National Forensic Association’s National tournament in 2004.  Natalie has volunteered as a speech and debate coach in the local Phoenix area since starting at ASU.

Natalie grew up in Texas and attended high school there before moving to Phoenix in 2002 to attend Arizona State University.  A graduate of Arizona State University, Ms. Ehmka holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Mass Communication from the Walter Cronkite School, and a minor in film. 

Natalie began working with notMYkid, Inc. in 2004 as a speaker for the ClearChoices program, and her love for the organization led her to join in a full-time capacity immediately following her graduation from ASU.

Project 7th Grade, a national initiative of the notMYkid organization that educates parents, schools and children on substance abuse prevention, for a presentation on effective means for families to communicate and prevent teenagers from abusing prescription and illicit drugs Project 7th Grade serves as a family oriented prevention resource that helps parents develop plans to communicate and maintain an early, but ongoing dialogue with their children about the perils of substance abuse, incorporating drug testing as a cornerstone of deterrence.