Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 7, 1 July 1988 — Manu Meyer also Focuses on Hawaiian Values [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Manu Meyer also Focuses on Hawaiian Values

New Coordinator Sets Hawaiian Leadership Goals

By Deborah Lee Ward, Assistant Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA Developing leadership in Hawaiian students is the chief eoneem of Manu Meyer , new coordinator for the University of Hawaii at Hilo Hawaiian Leadership Development Program. Meyer, who began her new duties in May, was formerly eounselor for the university's Hawaiian Vocational Education Assistance Program. Meyer's job with the leadership program is to identify and recruit Hawaiian students with aeademic and leadership potential. Selection of participants is based on academic motivation, references, interviews and student interest. Meyer stresses these are students who want to develop themselves through Hawaiian avenues. The Hawaiian Leadership Development Program was begun four years ago to help students develop their leadership abilities while successfully completing college. Counselors help students develop a schedule of courses for academic and leadership development, and to set aside time for study, tutoring and a peer counseling program Meyer coordinates. In addition to the core classes, students take Hawaiian language and a human development course, taught by Meyer, whieh focuses on Hawaiian values. Meyer says, "You ean better develop yourself by understanding your heritage and having a stronger understanding of our roots." She adds, "Many Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians are uncertain what culture we belong to. Our job is to recenter ourselves and know where we fit in." In the two years Meyer has taught this popular course, many students have responded positive!y, saying they gained self-understanding, new esteem and confidence and improved communication skills. They will also gain valuable exposure to leadership through mentorships coordinated by Meyer, on-the-job intemships arranged by AIu Like, and through involvement in community service proj-

ects. Meyer says the goal of the program is to increase the number of Hawaiian leaders in professional fields and the community. About 50 students now participate in the Hawaiian leadership Development Program. Freshmen tend to be the most active, but even though upperclassmen are moving into more work — and community-oriented activities, they still participate. Meyer says the program is eontinuing to expand its services. Sharing her thoughts, Meyer described a leader as "Someone who operates from their center, who remembers how to laugh, who knows how to lead softly or with strength when necessary, someone who is honest, who challenges and empowers people. A leader is someone who volunteers to get the job done and doesn't shirk personal sacrifice. And a leader is someone who enjoys life and sharing it with other people."

The talented Meyer, herself a leader, wears several hats. She helps eoaeh the college's women's volleyball team and is an instructor/ group leader for Wilderness Hawaii, taking groups

out to leam survival skills, to enjoy nature and leam Hawaiian concepts of self-sufficiency. Meyer was born and raised in Kailua, O'ahu, graduated from Punahou School in 1977 and received her bachelor's degree in physical education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1983. For a time she was a eoaeh at Kaimuki, Roosevelt and Punahou high schools and at Sacred Hearts Academy. Always active in sports in high school, Meyer was recruited by the University of California, Santa Barbara, to play volleyball. When a knee injury sidelined her, followed by several operations, she made a change in plans though keeping her interest in fitness, and received her master's degree in exercise physiology from the University of Northern Colorado in 1985. For a while she was an instructor for the Outward Bound program in Florida, and later the Hawaii Bound program. Outward Bound is a nationwide string of outdoor survival schools that teach self-reliance through wilderness training. Returning to Hawaii, she moved to the Big Island, "for the space and the beauty," and was hired as a counselor by Dr. David Sing, Director of the UH Hilo Student Development Center. In May, Meyer was a co-facilitator of a seminar on "Enriching the Educational Experiences of Hawaiian Students" held at UH Hilo (see seminar story this issue). According to Sing, Meyer has demonstrated a definite sensitivity to the needs of Hawaiian students, ability to work with them, and knowledge of the Hawaiian community and its resources. "Coaches are the unpaid counselors of the world," according to Meyer in recalling her eoaehing background. She is quick to show that building self-confidence is as important to academics as to sports. Her main thrust now is to help students under'stand the relationship between discipline, motivation and concentration for success in academic and personal life.

Cornelia Anguay, left, and Manu Meyerserved as seminar ieaders.