American Samoa
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AMERICAN SAMOA SWIMMING ASSOCIATION Project Title: Swimming and Water Safety Education Award Amount: $465,407 A Type of Grant: Social and Economic Development Strategies Project Period: 9/30/2005 – 12/31/2007 M Grantee Type: Native Nonprofit E R I PROJECT SNAPSHOT American Samoa. Founded in 1994, the • 6 jobs created ASSA lay dormant until 2003, when an increase in the number of deaths pressed the C • 1 Native American consultant hired organization to become active in teaching • 20 elders involved swimming classes and providing water A safety instruction. • 593 youth involved PROJECT PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES • $6,735 in resources leveraged N The Project’s purpose was to reduce the • 15 people trained high incidence of drowning deaths by • 19 partnerships formed providing a comprehensive public Swimming and Water Safety Education • 6 products developed Program. The Program focused on the S BACKGROUND training and certification of local water safety instructors (WSIs) and lifeguards. American Samoa is located in the South Pacific, southeast of the sovereign state of The Project’s first objective was designed to A Samoa. The main and most populous island develop and implement the Swimming and is Tutuila, upon which the capital city of Water Safety Education Program by M Pago Pago is located. The population of certifying ten WSIs and ten lifeguards, American Samoa is approximately 58,000. conducting classes in swimming and water safety education, giving lectures in schools There are currently few people who can O and holding a swimming competition. Over swim correctly and safely in American the Project period, Project staff trained eight Samoa, resulting in a high incidence of lifeguards and seven WSIs. Two A death by drowning. On average, seven participants were trained and certified in deaths per year occur due to drowning; as a both disciplines. These fifteen individuals percentage of the population, this rate is taught swimming lessons four to five times a seven times higher than in the United States. week during the summer months, and The American Samoa Swimming conducted community water safety courses. Association (ASSA) was established to Project staff collaborated with the reduce the high incidence of drowning in 31 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) The major challenge faced by Project staff and held workshops at local elementary was lack of safe and dependable locations to schools on littering, pollution, water safety conduct water activities. American Samoa and watershed management. ASSA also does not have many suitable beaches for provided lifeguards, swimming lessons and swimming instruction, nor is there a public A lectures on water safety and reef etiquette to swimming pool. The staff overcame this the youth summer program, Camp Enviro challenge by utilizing hotel and private Discoveries. ASSA sponsored a first annual swimming pools. The Project also M swimming competition in August 2006, encountered difficulties regarding which drew 100 participants and included a certification of lifeguards and WSIs, as there traditional canoe race. Eight adult was no one qualified on the island to certify E swimmers also competed in the regional these positions. In order to become a swimming competition held in Western certified instructor, staff had to travel to R Samoa during the fall of 2006. Hawaii to complete a 30-hour course. The lack of training and certification The Project’s second objective was to secure opportunities on the island resulted in the the ASSA’s sustainability through public Project falling short of its goal to train and I promotion of the organization and certify ten WSIs. partnership development. The Project staff C designed brochures and fliers to advertise PROJECT OUTCOMES AND IMPACT ON THE the Program in churches, schools and youth COMMUNITY organizations. Staff transported portable This Project advanced the American Samoa A swimming pools to various locations to Swimming Association’s capacity to attract a variety of participants. The Project produce qualified, professional lifeguards N developed nineteen partnerships to aid in and instructors to promote water safety sustaining the program. For example, local throughout the island. The Project met its hotels will continue to allow ASSA to utilize goal of reducing the incidence of death by swimming facilities for classes, the drowning; only two drownings were Department of Health and the EPA will reported during the Project’s two-year S continue to collaborate on lectures and timeframe. The Project also provided a information sessions and the American Red complete stock of water safety equipment Cross will continue to aid in lifeguard and and supplies that ASSA will use to continue A WSI training and certification. the Water Safety Education Program. An The third objective was to expand the ASSA additional positive impact is the formation lifeguard division service by stationing of a youth swim team that participated in a M lifeguards on public beaches, establishing a regional competition. Overall, 600 Junior Lifeguard Program and conducting American Samoan youth and adults learned O public first aid and CPR demonstrations. At to swim, strengthened their basic water the end of the Project’s timeframe, this safety skills, gained awareness about the objective remained incomplete, despite the ocean and learned to respect the A award of a three-month extension from environment. ANA. Project staff was unable to secure local government funding to pay the lifeguards past the Project timeframe, and staff therefore abandoned the objective due to lack of sustainability. 32 INTERSECTIONS, INC. Project Title: Crossroads Theatre for Youth: “Community Transformation A Through the Arts” Award Amount: $1,090,970 M Type of Grant: Social and Economic Development Strategies E Project Period: 9/1/2004 – 8/31/2007 Grantee Type: Native Nonprofit R PROJECT SNAPSHOT deal of concern within the community I regarding cultural erosion, the conflict • 11 jobs created between traditional and contemporary • 10 Native American consultants hired customs, and the war on poverty. C • 100 youth involved PROJECT PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES A • $4,845 in revenue generated This Project’s purpose was to raise public • $175,500 in resources leveraged awareness about social issues through the use of community theater. The Project N • 310 people trained utilized this medium as a way to bring • 21 partnerships formed sensitive and oftentimes taboo issues to light in the community. Overall, this Project • 30 products developed sought to reach 80% of the population under BACKGROUND the age of 25 in American Samoa. S American Samoa is located in the South Objective 1 in the Project’s first year was Pacific, southeast of the sovereign state of focused on the establishment and Samoa. The population of American Samoa implementation of the Community Theatre A is approximately 58,000, 60% of which live for Youth (CTY) program, as well as the below the poverty level. Intersections Inc. is purchase of equipment and materials needed M a nonprofit faith-based organization founded to produce plays. Intersections, Inc. in 2002, with the mission to make lasting modeled CTY on Hawaii Theatre for Youth, positive differences in the lives of families a 50-year old program that produces theater O by empowering them to break the cycle of and drama education projects. Members of poverty and improving the physical, social CTY include five actors, one technician and and spiritual aspects of family life. Project staff. In addition to hiring the actors A and staff, the Project purchased production This Project focused on specific social equipment such as lighting instruments, issues faced by American Samoan youth. costumes and props. The current trend of social problems relate to substance abuse, child abuse, violence, The Project included objectives in the first teen pregnancy and suicide. There is a great and second years to implement a public 33 information and promotional campaign. Initially, the Project experienced difficulty CTY members gathered information from in garnering support for CTY, as some of community agencies such as Social the issues addressed in the plays are taboo in Services, the Child Abuse Task Force and Samoan society. However, these groups the Department of Public Safety in order to eventually saw the value in using A create educational texts for teachers to use in community theater as a means of awareness- their classrooms. To meet this objective, raising. Due to the sensitive nature of the marketing materials were produced, which issues presented in the plays, oftentimes M were distributed to all the schools, youth youth audience members were loath to organizations, and churches on the island. participate in post-performance discussions. Staff also created a CTY website to expand Project staff overcame this challenge by E the promotional campaign during the first leading the discussions themselves, rather months of the Project. than having officials or teachers facilitate. R Objective 3 was to develop and perform PROJECT OUTCOMES AND IMPACT ON THE three new plays during each year of the COMMUNITY Project. Staff successfully completed this This Project helped the community identify I objective, performing nine plays addressing problems and bring them to the forefront of child abuse, the hazards of smoking, suicide, discussion. CTY performed plays for over substance abuse and peer pressure. CTY C 12,000 youth and 2,000 elders in American performed these plays at schools, local Samoa and Hawaii.