EDUCATION
& SAFETY
It should be no surprise that education and safety in public spaces are priorities for Breeani, not just as a candidate, but also as a mother and deeply invested member of this community. She has spent the last decade devoted to providing safe spaces and educational opportunities for the youth, the underprivileged, the underserved, the elderly, and anyone else that could find benefit. She stepped up to offer resources because she saw areas of needs not being met and had the capacity to contribute; first as an individual and business owner, then in founding a nonprofit and getting involved on the boards of others. Ten years in, she's made an impact on thousands, but recognizes there are still ever-evolving needs across our county that could be better provided for.
Education,
RECREATION AND RESOURCES
The Department of Parks & Recreations has many capital improvement projects in the works this year, a number of which were delayed, but all of which should remain priorities for our county. Hilo has also long asked for, and is overdue, a covered-sports stadium to better accommodate our outdoor sports events while protecting our athletes and spectators from harsh weather. Such a facility would be opportune to serve dual-purpose as a community-run resource center - offering a space for programs, tutoring, childcare, and other after-school, evening, and weekend activities for our youth, adults, and elderly.
Similar programming could be offered at Parks & Recreation community resource centers across the island. Our community has been unwavering in sharing the serious need for affordable, safe, engaging after school activities and childcare. Our county is in the process of building new facilities and repairing and renovating old facilities intended exactly for such purposes. County subsidized after-school programs could be an incredible resource for parents and potential for us to engage our youth in productive, safe, activities and help set them up for success.
Other educational programs, such as CPR and First Aid Certification, could be expanded to be offered at all of our public high schools. Having every graduating Hawaii County youth CPR and First Aid Certified would not only give these students tangible skills and qualifications to take into the workforce - but would also greatly enhance the knowledge and safety in each of their household, and our county overall. Our island has always come together to help and care for each other in times of emergency and hardship - just imagine if all of our youth were trained and certified in CPR and First Aid as well.
Safety
IN PUBLIC SPACES
A foundational aspiration behind the proposing community-run resource centers and providing education and training, is increasing the amount of “safe public spaces” our community members can enjoy time in, and also increasing confidence in our overall safety amongst our community in all public places. How else do we endeavor to do that? We increase the support to those that keep us safe - we ask them how we can do better. In some areas, such as the issues we are facing with increasing crime and vagrancy, this would include expanding the budget for officers and resource workers tasked with helping these people while also ensuring the safety of others. It could also mean investing in more technology and equipment - additional security cameras and noise-triggered alerts in high crime and concerning areas.
We also need to be proactive in improving how we provide for our emergency responders across the board. There are on-going shortages in these fields nationwide and we need to ensure we retain these incredibly valued members of our community, while encouraging our youth to pursue these careers.