GIVING BACK is a seven-year-old nonprofit 501(c)3 organization on a mission: providing life-changing educational services, fostering intergenerational relationships through mentoring and tutoring, and enhancing the individual lives of both generations: helping vulnerable children develop their reading and learning abilities, inter-personal skills and self-esteem, and creating vibrant and vital opportunities for elders to `give back'. As of July 2006 our additional mission is a new program--mobile senior citizens "mentoring" frail senior citizens!

Description:
Giving Back's unique intergenerational mentoring program, serves students, specifically those with challenges to their learning and social development. The program begins by training senior citizen volunteers in Brain Gym and Educational Kinesiology, then pairs them with school children in need of special help. Elders experience an enlivening and meaningful way to contribute their skills to the community, while enjoying love from the children and keeping their minds sharp and their hearts and bodies supple. Students benefit from improved focus and academic performance, social skills and the friendship of mentors. The magic that happens in the relationship between seniors and children addresses proactively individual and neighborhood needs and provides remarkable benefit to participants, improving quality of life, uniting generations and strengthening communities.
In the senior to senior program, we work on balance , coordination, and fall prevention in addition to the cognitve skills we work on with the children.

History:
Karen Peterson, M.A., founder and director, has over 35 years experience as a reading and learning disability specialist. Since becoming a Licensed Brain Gym Consultant/Instructor in 1986, she has worked continuously, training teachers in these techniques and using them to improve abilities in people of all ages. In 1995 while teaching seniors at Kaunoa Senior Center, and influenced by the traditional Hawaiian Way of utilizing grandparents to raise children, Karen struck on the innovative idea of an intergenerational mentoring program, which is rooted in local tradition. The first pilot program began in September 1999 at Lihikai School (one of Maui's poorest elementary schools)), making Peterson the first Brain Gym expert to pioneer the use of its kinesthetic education technique with senior mentors. The dramatic success of this first program prompted the formation of Giving Back and resulted in the addition of other schools.
The practice of seniors using their skills, experience, knowledge and most of all, their love, to mentor children has traditional Hawaiian roots and deep Hawaiian wisdom.
We are very excited about the new program with mobile seniors "mentoring" frail seniors. We have worked at Roselani Place, the Nisei Center with Maui Adult Day Care, Hale Mahaolu and Hale Makua.

Contact person: Karen Peterson, Executive Director, (phone), (email)

Address:

P.O. Box 791339 Paia, HI 96779

Web Site: http://www.givingbackmentoring.org