Most of you can look back and identify a group of important adults that helped to guide you and served as your role models. Often, the adults that influenced you most were parents, older family members (cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents), teachers, school staff, coaches, employers, or even just concerned neighbors.

Assisting youth in making the transition to healthy, caring, and responsible adults has been a traditional role for adults in all cultures. But in today’s changing world, it is not so unusual to find many adults (including parents!) struggling to support youth in appropriate ways.

So what can you do to help today’s youth grow into healthy, caring, and responsible adults?

1. Recognize that you can play an important role.
2. Communicate effectively.
3. Get involved.

For more information on parenting, check out our Parents’ Pūpū Platter. It is a program that provides parents with practical and useful information and was developed in partnership with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA).