Summer Reading program underway
Join the Hawaii State Public Library System’s 2021 Summer Reading Program, which kicked off this week and runs through July 31.
This year, libraries will venture to the “wild side” with virtual and in-person activities, author talks and more to explore Hawaii’s amazing ocean creatures, land animals, birds and beasts, all while enjoying terrific tales along the way.
Registration details can be found at www.librarieshawaii.org/SummerReading.
Together with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and their statewide partners, children can take a deep dive into learning about the Animal of the Week — the humpback whale, Hawaiian cleaner wrasse, sharks, sea horses, lobsters, green sea turtles, monk seals, manta rays and dolphins. Each week, children can watch videos of the featured animal, make fun crafts and download a packet of activities. Teens can test their animal knowledge during a statewide “Kahoot” contest. DLNR speakers will share information on “Pono Fishing” so that all may practice safe and responsible fishing methods, and learn more about restricted areas, seasonal rules and protected species.
Participants can take on reading challenges at their own pace, enjoy fun activities, attend cool programs, track reading minutes and earn free incentives when they reach milestones towards a 1,000-minute goal. For every 100 minutes of reading logged, library patrons are rewarded with a virtual badge and an automatic entry in the statewide drawing. The more minutes read, the better the chances to win the lucky grand prize drawing: four roundtrip tickets to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.
Hawaii’s Summer Reading Program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library of Hawaii, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii, Hawaii Pizza Hut and the 2021 Summer Reading Sponsors.
Task force issues report on lawyer well-being
The Hawaii legal profession “is at a crossroads” with respect to how it will address attorney well-being in the future, according to a report issued this week by the Hawaii Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being.
The task was formed in May 2019 by Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald in response to a National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being report entitled, “The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change.”
It was asked “to review the recommendations of the National Task Force on how to address lawyer well-being issues, assess which recommendations can be implemented to address the unique needs of Hawaii’s legal community, and recommend how those proposals can best be implemented.”
Co-chairs Associate Justice Sabrina S. McKenna and attorney Louise K.Y. Ing led the task force comprised of more than 20 representatives.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of well-being issues, and provided a turning point for us,” the task force reported. Well-being affects attorneys’ ability to adequately represent their clients, and when attorneys are well, the community benefits.
The task force examined the wellness state of the legal profession overall, as well as recommendations for judges, regulators, legal employers, law schools, bar associations, lawyers’ professional liability carriers, and lawyers’ assistance programs. It added that well-being isn’t just about stress management. It encompasses preventing suicide, substance abuse, and severe mental illness, from the time individuals enter law school through joining the legal profession.
One of the task force’s key recommendations is that the state bar create a Well-Being Committee to carry on the work of the task force and to follow-up on recommendations within the report. Some of those recommendations include destigmatizing mental health issues; de-emphasizing alcohol at social events; emphasizing lawyer competence to WB; increasing flexibility in work schedules and expectations and assessing law school practices for unhealthy consequences and increase on-site WB education and services.