Rough draft of a flyer to be posted on various message boards throughout the island.

Please feel free to edit and improve

You may copy/quote the following:

Community Support Group Project
...a feasibility study

Community Communications, a Big Isle 501(c)(3) educational organization, is conducting a feasibility study for a proposed weekly locally televised support group for Kulani Correctional Facility inmates who are about to be paroled. The six-month support group, to be called the Community Support Group (CSG), will be modeled after Kerry King's three-hour support groups. Kerry's present support group for businesspersons has been meeting every other week for 15 years, with perfect on-time attendance and zero unexcused absences. Kerry's support groups support personal responsibility, telling the truth, keeping agreements, and supporting others in setting and reaching goals.

The purpose of the CSG is to experience an expanded ability to create mutually supportive satisfying communications.

The CSG will consist of 10 volunteer inmates who have between 6 and 12 months before they are eligible for parole, 10 volunteer co-facilitator/assistants, a communication skills coach, and the Hawaii Island community of television viewers. The televised series will include live telephone calls from viewers during the weekly 3-hour sessions. Viewers may call and share their experience of the support group conversations.  They may also express their considerations for or against any participant's upcoming parole. Inmates will be coached by everyone in preparation for their Parole Board interview. Most importantly, participants will form supportive bonds with thousands of Hawaii Island viewers thereby facilitating the transition from inmate, to support group participant, to parolee, to community member.

Community Communications is gathering feedback to be considered in formulating the intention to present the proposed Community Support Group Project (CSGP) to the Hawaii County Superintendent of Corrections, the Hawaii County Mayor, the Kulani Correctional Facility Warden, and Na Leo O Hawaii, the local public access television station.

The feedback is being collected via a special online form located on our Community Support Group Project web site.  If you do not have access to a computer, go to any local library and a librarian will assist you with how to fill in the form on the library's computer.  You may also request a form by writing to: Community Communications, 15-2721 O'opu Street, Pahoa, HI 96778. Your form will be entered into the web site.

You may use the email form to record your support or share your considerations about the proposed project.

The web site outlines various ways you may support the project—from voting in favor of the CSG, volunteering to assist, or letting us know you agree to watch at least one televised episode.

Please log on to https://www.bigislandforum.org/csgp/index.htm and cast your vote.