HAWAII
Safe Community Youth Activities (SCYA)

 

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)
  Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population
Outstanding collaborative effort
  Youth Programs
Alcohol and Other Drugs
       
TYPE OF JURISDICTION    
  State    
       
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  Youth   1,193,001


PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatalities and injuries in Hawaii. Traffic safety professionals statewide have used a combination of traffic statistics and observation to help identify several critical traffic safety problem areas: the safety belt use rate must be increased for all population groups; there is a need for additional traffic safety education targeted to children; and there is also a requirement for increased education targeted to young drivers and their parents about the consequences of impaired driving and high risk behaviors on highways.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Safe Community Youth Activities (SCYA) program was developed, in 1998, to prevent and reduce traffic crash fatalities and injuries in Hawaii. Objectives of the program include the following:

  • To develop a traffic injury prevention program targeting youth
  • To create new youth and parent coalitions
  • To continue support to youth/parent coalitions of long standing
  • To organize youth as an advocacy group for traffic safety


STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The primary strategy used by program planners to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries was the formation of an umbrella organization from which all traffic safety-related programs could coordinate their efforts. This umbrella organization was named Safe Community Youth Activities (SCYA), and embraced the Teens for Safer Communities Coalition (TSCC) and the Parents Actively Reaching the Youth (PARTY) coalition. Three areas/programs of effort were established and members of the organizations appointed to each of the three areas: (1) youth advocacy, (2) legislative advocacy, and (3) public education. SCYA members engaged in numerous traffic safety activities which focused on the three program areas. These include:

  • SCYA members hosted elementary, high school and parent traffic safety conferences which provided traffic safety awareness education, injury prevention education, advocacy education and training in educational strategies
  • Support was continued to classroom teachers and schools through dissemination of videos, curriculum materials and posters
  • The SCYA continued active participation with national legislative advocacy groups such as National Student Safety Program (NSSP), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the National Safety Council (NSC) and the National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS)
  • Working relationships were continued and strengthened with local advocacy groups such as the State Department of Health, the state chapter of MADD, the county police departments, the Judiciary Division of Driver Education and the Honolulu Association of Insurance Women


RESULTS
The many activities conducted by the SCYA program have resulted in heightened awareness of traffic safety issues in Hawaii, and have won local and national recognition for the effort. Examples of results achieved through this comprehensive program include the following:

  • More than 450 students, 60 teachers, administrators, and parents from 20 high schools and 24 elementary schools were trained during six traffic safety conferences. More than 29,500 items related to traffic safety and drug information were disseminated
  • More than 350 parents and students were educated at four conferences on prom/graduation safety
  • More than 2,600 parent volunteers raised $800,000 to fund Project Grad events for 5,400 graduating high school seniors
 

FUNDING
  Section 402:
Local:
$126,458
$1,732,000
CONTACT  
 

Janice B. Meeker
Resource Teacher
189 Lunalilo Home Road, Room D-25
Honolulu, HI 96825
(808) 394–1348


NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

WINTER 2000