overview

Studies have shown that students perform better academically when connected to their learning environment through resonating cultural learning. There is not a "one size fits all" learning approach for every student. Therefore, our programs are designed to augment the current educational practices with our Pacific Islander students' unique culture.

Family and community engagement is vital to our children's success. However, our families struggle with being marginalized because of being stereotyped and facing socio-economic challenges. VOPIN strives to provide culturally responsive programs and services to address the inequities and multiple challenges in our communities.

Youth and Young Adults Services

The fate of our Pacific Islander communities lies in the hands of our younger generation. It is crucial to prepare our youth and young adults to face the challenges and uncertainties of the future, which is vital for the survival of our Pacific Islanders' culture, history, and heritage. Inculcating confidence and imparting ethical and moral values to our young leaders will pave the way for a just society.      

Arts and Culture

Our Arts and Culture programs are designed as a comprehensive approach to increasing students' engagement in school via cultural identity. It is also a way for our elders to engage and share their knowledge with our younger generation. It is a safe space of inclusion for our children, adults, and elders to interact with one another about the importance of our values and culture. Understanding one's heritage and history can expand an individual's knowledge of the world we live in. 

Children and Family Services

Family is central to the fabric of Pacific Islander communities. The natural description of a family unit has evolved with time and circumstances. A single parent or a teenager with a child is a family unit. The most difficult for a teenage mother is raising her child in an already overcrowded household with multiple family members and relatives. Imagine a teenager with a child or with children, with a host of stressors, trying to navigate the various systems to obtain services for her family. Although there are limited data on Pacific Islander (PI) teen pregnancy, it is undeniable that PI teenage pregnancy within the PI community continues to rise.

Family hardship within the PI community is another indicator or factor contributing to our students' lack of academic achievement. Cultural dissimilarities are another under-observed challenge as one of the significant barriers for most PI families, which continues to widen the educational and opportunity disparity gaps for our students and families. These barriers perpetuate to disengaged PI parents from seeking and obtaining the necessary academic services and resources for their children.

Providing the necessary adequate and culturally responsive services for our students and their families is VOPIN'S commitment to close the academic and opportunity disparity gaps.