Officers elected for MEO’s M.A.U.I. Kanaktion Teen Task Force

Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) Youth Services participants seeking to create new initiatives and strategies to prevent harmful behaviors in Maui County youth have organized and selected officers for their M.A.U.I. (Making An Unforgettable Impact) Kanaktion Teen Task Force.

The group of middle and high schoolers will be led by President Kamaile Figueroa, a junior at Maui High School. The other officers are: Vice President Kassen Yamashita, senior in Kaiapuni (Hawaiian language immersion) at King Kekaulike High School; Secretary Gianna Armbul Okuda, sophomore at Baldwin High School; and Treasurer Kahlen Boteilho-Dougherty, sophomore at Maui High.

The M.A.U.I. Kanaktion Teen Task Force (MKTF) engages in youth advocacy, peer-to-peer outreach and prevention campaigns. Collaborating partners include Tobacco-Free Hawaiʻi Coalition, Children’s Justice Center, Prevent Suicide Maui County Task Force, the Maui Coalition for Drug-Free Youth, Hawaiʻi Partnership to Prevent Underage Drinking and the Maui Police Department.

Members on the Teen Task Force also receive leadership and mentorship training.

The next MKTF meeting is set for Thursday, March 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. at MEO in Wailuku. Middle and high school youth interested in joining the Teen Task Force may call MEO Youth Services Director Dane Ka‘ae at 808-243-4315.