Pineapple Foundation launches Project Bloom

The Pineapple Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the capacity building and interconnectedness of women and girls, has launched its mentorship programme – Project Bloom.

Project Bloom is a 12-month programme that helps young women ages 14-19 to navigate through adolescence and young adulthood to better achieve social, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being, said a media release.

The young women will participate in mentoring, community service, and education/training activities geared to leadership development. They will also embark on a mission of self-discovery to prepare them to better set personal goals, plan strategies to achieve those goals and develop self-esteem.

President of the foundation, councillor Nicole Young, said young women are searching for independence and identity and are ready to explore and prepare for future careers, roles and responsibilities.

The release said studies have shown that youth who have a mentor skip fewer days of school, are less physically aggressive, have more positive relationships, and have higher grades. Thus, The Pineapple Foundation seeks to support these young women in discovering their potential.

Each teenage girl (keiki) will be paired with a trained and screened adult female mentor (hala kahiki). In Hawaii, the young pineapple shoot is known “keiki” and the “hala kahiki” is the fully-blossomed pineapple, the release said.

The hala kahikis are caring adults who will support the "keikis" through a guided relationship that will foster the environment to achieve success as the youth approach womanhood. The mentors will focus on academic, career, and social and life skills. The mentors and mentees meet in positive, socially-appropriate venues and attend appropriate events such as museum visits, the release said.

Project Bloom will utilise psychometric tools to carry out scientific analysis from the stage prior to the mentorship pairing until the 12-month period is over, the release said.

Anyone interested in becoming a mentor or wants their daughter, niece, etc to be a mentee can visit the social media pages @pineapplefoundationtt or call 721-4520.