What Can Be Done At The Local Level?

It may not seem very realistic, or be the type of fun you want to spend your free time having, to get every child in Hawaii a set Physical Education program, but it is important to do what you can.

Activism/Advocacy

The simplest way to help is by encouraging your younger siblings and cousins to exercise. During family dinners, or when you are baby sitting, ask if they want to go play some volleyball, instead of watching a movie or playing video games. There are also programs such as the "Go" campaign encouraging children and families to "Get up, Get out, Get active." They have sponsored days filled with fun, active activities to help show families that by incorporating simple changes in their day, such as walking places, or shooting basketball hoops outside is not only beneficial to their health, but will add fun and family bonding as well. As well as campaigns like "Go," there are many other groups such as the Hawaii Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, dedicated towards organizing activities for families to get active, which you could encourage your family to get involved in or the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii providing after school programs to encourage children to get active.

Charity/Philanthropy

However, if encouraging physical education in your family is not a concern, or if you would like to help out your local community, donations can be made to your local school to help in the creating of a set Physical Education program. While money donations always help, they are not the only way that you can contribute to the formation of a program in your local school.

Citizenship

By writing e-mails (click on contact), to the members of the Department of Education, it can help raise even more awareness that there is a need to change the Physical Education requirements and programs in Hawaii’s public schools. The Hawaii state legislature is also another group that you are encouraged to contact about raising the amount of Physical education. By citizens contacting the people that help decide on the laws, there is a greater possibility of something getting done about the issue.

Vocation/Call

Encouraging your family to get active, donating money, and writing to the Department of Education are all helpful and every little bit helps, yet the most direct form of service that you can do is getting into the schools to teach Physical Education. In order to help out at schools, you could talk to them about volunteering your free time to teach Physical Education, or becoming a full time Physical Education teacher. When becoming a Physical Education teacher, once you have the degrees, a simple e-mail is all that is needed to become an applicant, and then you will be able to help fulfill the demand for more teachers in Hawaii's public schools. By providing children with a Physical Education program it will help them to live a long and healthy life, so why not do what you can.