Have You Heard of FETCH?

by Normie Jean Taylan

You are invited to the Family Education Training Center of Hawaiʻi’s (FETCH) Open House!

• Friday, August 26, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
• Hale Tuahine, 2727 Woodlawn Drive (next to Magoon Research Facility, across from Longs Drugs in Mānoa Marketplace)
• Free and open to the public; limited parking available onsite (plenty of street parking and next to Long’s)

FETCH runs a number of highly effective, community-based programs of interest to a wide audience.

For families and middle and high school students, FETCH can introduce them to a possible career in sustainable agriculture or related sciences, help them participate in an engaging and innovative internship, and possibly even earn a college scholarship.

For substance-abuse prevention organizations and mental health counselors, the event will provide similar goals and approaches to network and collaborate.

For UH faculty, staff, and students, the event will include a tour of Hale Tuahine and showcase FETCH programs and community partnerships, such as:

• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) garden, which serves as a helpful resource for individuals and families looking to purchase and consume a variety of fresh produce for only $25 a week
• Sustainable Families Program, aka the Family Advantage Program, aims to educate parents and their children on healthier relational skills and increase family harmony while encouraging families to garden together onsite to practice these skills.
• Youth Advantage Sustainable Sciences Internship, which educates middle and high school students on sustainable agricultural topics and helps them to develop hands-on-skills in cultivating, maintaining and operating a CSA garden. These student participants are then able to earn a college scholarship through their hard work on the CSA.

“FETCH is about helping people find success: brothers holding up a huge daikon they grew in their raised bed with a sense of accomplishment, parents engaging with other parents who share similar challenges, as a way to overcome instead of using substances,” says program manager Norman Tansey. “It gives people purpose and something to do other than substance abuse, because when you care for the plants and get to watch them grow, you get attached to it. FETCH is definitely a community, our community, a supportive community.”

For more info, visit FETCH or email Normie Jean at fetchoahu@gmail.com.