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Love Pono

Awareness and Education

Love Pono’s mission is “to provide a safe environment to help the Leeward Community College community build and maintain healthy relationships through education, intervention, campus and community resources, and counseling.”

We believe in the dignity and potential of each individual and the power of that belief to help people learn and grow. We are committed to providing an educational environment that accepts people as they are and fosters the development of each student’s unique talents.

We believe awareness and education will cultivate a campus culture of responsibility and respect, ultimately preventing interpersonal violence. We can achieve this goal by engaging students and members of our campus community in critical conversations about what we can all do to prevent interpersonal violence and intervene when it happens.

Interpersonal violence occurs when a person uses power and control over another through physical, sexual, or emotional threats or actions. Love Pono, as a part of the Pau Violence Program, addresses these different types of interpersonal violence:

All members of our campus community deserve a work and an educational environment free from harassment or bullying based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.

In This Section

Dating/Domestic/Relationship Violence

Dating/Domestic/Relationship Violence is when one person in an intimate relationship uses a pattern of controlling behavior against the other. These behaviors may include physical, emotional, sexual, economic or cultural abuse. Dating/Relationship violence occurs in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships and can be perpetrated by either males or females. Some examples of dating violence include: hitting, strangling, restraining, abandoning in an unsafe place, forcing, threatening harm, damaging property, possessiveness and forcing or attempting to force unwanted sexual acts. Relationship violence may continue even after a breakup or separation.

Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence is any type of sexual activity that a person does not agree to or does not give consent to. Sexual assault includes unwanted touching of a sexual nature, sexual intercourse without consent, rape or attempted rape, peeping for sexual pleasure, and indecent exposure. Sexual violence can be verbal, visual, or anything that forces a person to participate in unwanted sexual contact or attention. Examples of this are voyeurism (someone watches private sexual acts), exhibitionism (someone exposes him/herself in public), and sexual harassment (behaviors sexual in nature that create a hostile work/learning environment).

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https://www.instagram.com/lovepono/

Resources

Get Help With:

Surviving Sexual Assault
Sexual assault can leave us with a wide range of difficult emotions. We may feel fear, shame, guilt, shock, anger, or helplessness. These feelings are normal, but we don’t have to go through them alone.

  • Sex Abuse Treatment Center
    Hotline: The Sex Abuse Treatment Center’s (SATC) 24-hour hotline is 524-7273.
    SATC can offer support, care, and advocacy immediately following an assault. Counseling and support are also available for individuals who have experienced sexual assault in the past. Go to satchawaii.com for more information.
  • RAINN: Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network: National Hotline: 800-656-HOPE
    RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Unhealthy Relationships
Behaviors or actions that are used to control, hurt, and intimidate a current or previous partner are considered unhealthy. This can include hitting, pushing, demeaning, threatening, stalking, not letting their partner spend time with others, or making their partner feel guilty for not doing something for them.

College should be a time to build genuine, life-long friendships and relationships.

Domestic Violence Action Center” – www.stoptheviolence.org

  • The Domestic Violence Action Center’s (DVAC) free legal Helpline is 808-531-3771.
    The Domestic Violence Action Center provides services to address domestic violence through legal representation for high-risk divorce, temporary restraining orders, and post-decree and paternity cases. DVAC also provides advocacy for survivors by assisting with navigating the system as she or he moves toward a life of safety and self-sufficiency.  Temporary Restraining Orders – DVAC advocates are available at Family Court to assist individuals in the temporary restraining order process.
  • Ho‘oikaika ‘Ohana
    They serve Native Hawaiian families who have suffered the harm of domestic violence. Over a 9-month period, survivors, their keiki (children) and ‘ohana attend weekly group sessions. Together, they mend relationships through mo’olelo (talk story) and cultural practices, such as lei-making, planting and pounding kalo (taro), chanting, and dancing the hula.
How to Help a Friend

Surviving Sexual Assault:
https://www.rainn.org/lets-talk-about

Supporting LGBTQ+ Survivors:
https://www.rainn.org/articles/lgbtq-survivors-sexual-violence

Unhealthy Relationships
https://www.joinonelove.org/learn/help_a_friend/

For situations involving (non-emergency) concerning behaviors, contact our Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) team.

Take a deep dive into our award-winning podcast where we engage with others in the UH ‘Ohana and our community.

Live Pono, Love Pono

Committee Members

Please contact any member if you have questions, concerns, need support, want to talk story, or have ideas for future events.

Corey Adler
Sociology and Women’s Studies
cadler@hawaii.edu

Lexer Chou
Student Life Coordinator
achou@hawaii.edu

Laurie Libarios
Counselor
lauriel@hawaii.edu

Lori Lum
Mental Health Counselor
leetalk@hawaii.edu

Syreeta Washington
Counselor
syreetaw@hawaii.edu

Gwen Williams
Substance Abuse Counseling Coordinator
gwenw@hawaii.edu

Kalei Ruiz
Counselor
kalei.ruiz@hawaii.edu

Celina E. Herrera, PhD
Instructor of Psychology
cherre24@hawaii.edu

 

CONTACT INFO

Email: lovepono@hawaii.edu
Instagram: lovepono
Youtube

Community Resources

Police, Fire, Ambulance: 911
Adult Mental Health Division: 1-800-753-6879
Poison Center: (800) 222-1222
Domestic Violence Shelters Hotline: 800-799-7233
Care Hawai‘i, Inc.: (808) 533-3936
Ho‘omau Ke Ola (Substance Abuse Counseling/Treatment): (808) 696-4266
Sex Assault Hotline: 524-7273
Sex Assault Trained Crisis Counselors: 808-524-7273
Crisis Hotline of Hawai‘i: 988

Domestic Violence Action Center

Domestic Violence Action Center’s Helpline Text: (808) 799-7233
Domestic Violence Action Center: (808) 690-6200
DVAC LGBTQ+ Advocate: @dvacpride
Email: dvac@stoptheviolence.org
Toll-Free Helpline: (800) 690-6200

Legal Services

Adult Services Branch of Family Court: (808) 538-5959
District Court – Oahu (Civil Division): (808) 538-5151
Hawai‘i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Phone: (808) 832-9316
Email: info@hscadv.org
Hawai‘i Immigrant Justice Center (Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i): (808) 536-8826

National Resources 

National Suicide Hotline: 988
Crisis Text Line Text HELLO to 741741

Wai‘anae Community Resources

Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center: (808) 697-3300
Wai‘anae Coast Community Mental Health Center: (808) 696-4212
Pu‘uhonua – Wai’anae Domestic Violence Outreach (Family PACT): (808) 700-7233
Hale Na‘au Pono–Substance Abuse Treatment: (808) 696-4211
Ho‘omau Ke Ola –Substance Abuse Treatment: (808) 696-4266
Leeward Oahu Family Guidance Center: (808) 692-7700