About UPLINK

UPLINK funding supports Hawaii middle and intermediate schools to provide activities and learning opportunities to proactively prevent students in grades 6, 7, and 8 from engaging in risky behaviors.

Required Activities

• Character Development to include Life Skills focus on the development of The 5C’s of Positive Youth Development = Competence, Confidence, Character, Connections and Contribution (*Caring) with activities and/or events in building leadership, resiliency, time-management, social-emotional well being, etc.
• Additional academic supports to include homework support, tutoring, and/or remediation to assist students to maintain daily classroom performance and academic achievement. The supports are focused on complimenting the school day and student needs.
• Career Exploration activities and events, per semester
• Parent and Family Engagement activities and events, per semester

Optional Activities

• Performing/Fine Arts activities such as music, drama, dance, drawing, painting, sculpting, that focus on creativity and expression; and encourages the development of competence, confidence, and character.
• Culinary and Agricultural Arts activities such as cooking, baking, recipe development that focus on cultural awareness and basic life skills such as kitchen safety, measurement, and home/budget management. Gardening, farming, animal science activities with both arts encouraging the development of competence, confidence, character, connections, and contribution to family.
• Sports/Physical activities such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, dance, yoga, etc. that focus on health, conditioning, teamwork, perseverance and sportsmanship to encourage the development of competence, confidence, character, connections and contribution to a team.
• Computer-based activities that focus on technology-oriented skills, decision-making in an information-rich environment to encourage competence, confidence, character, connections, and contributions.
• S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) based activities such as Science Olympiad, e-Sports, robotics, video production, etc. that focus on technical and decision-making in an information-rich environment to encourage competence, confidence, character, connections and contributions.
• Service Learning to include Cultural activities that focus on the value of community and partnership, culture-based education, cultural awareness, a sense of belonging, multilingualism, or local or global participation in culturally-relevant learning, and encourages the development of confidence, character, connections to others, and contributions.
• Career Exploration/Career Readiness activities that explore career fields and build job skills to encourage confidence, character, connections to others, and contributions.

Summer Programs

• Academic supports, enrichment activities, transition/bridge events to promote and prepare students to the next grade level. Open to students enrolled in participating UPLINK schools.

Funding

• UPLINK schools apply for funding through an annual application process. All UPLINK follow TANF and HIDOE policies and procedures through the performance period, August 1 – July 31.