‘Mini Haunted House’ on Oct. 29 at Kagman Community Center

The Division of Youth Services will be holding what it calls a “Mini Haunted House” at the Kagman Community Center on Oct. 29 from 5pm to 7:30pm. The event will have free admission and is open to the community.

Jennifer Tanaka, supervisor of the Family and Youth Enhancement Program at the Division of Youth Services, said Friday the Halloween festivities at the community center this year are largely made possible by DYS’ youth volunteers. Last Friday, several teams of youth worked on decorations and set pieces for the Oct. 29 “mini haunted house.”

There will be events inside and outside the community center on Oct. 29, Tanaka added. The “mini haunted house” itself will be set up at the center’s auditorium and will feature multiple Halloween-themed stations. Outside the center, DYS will have a photo booth, and DYS’ partnering agencies will have tables where they will have games, give out candies, and provide information on services and offerings available through their agency.

In line with current COVID-19 safety protocols, Tanaka said there will be a registration station for temperature checks and logging contact information. After registering, all guests will receive wristbands and be granted access to the “mini haunted house.”

Tanaka also said Friday that DYS has an after-school program at the center. The program, which is part of DYS’ Family & Youth Enhancement Program, caters to two age groups: children aged 5-12 and teens aged 13-17. According to Tanaka, around 45 children aged 5-12 and around 25 teens aged 13-17 are currently participating in the after-school program.

For the younger age group, Tanaka said the group was treated this month to guest presentations hosted by the Carolinian Affairs Office where they received introductory lessons in Carolinian and Chamorro and were taught how to make trinkets out of beads. Tanaka said a generous couple also recently donated a piano to the community center and that the younger group is also being treated to singing and piano lessons. With Christmastime nearing, the children have been practicing Christmas songs, said Tanaka.

The older age group is currently in its fourth week of taking an evidence-based program called Aggression Replacement Training. Tanaka said the group meets three times a week for 10 weeks at the center and that the current sessions are set to end the week of Thanksgiving.

ART is an evidence-based, 10-week program for individuals aged 13 to 21 that introduces participants to healthy ways of managing anger, and is one of many programs offered at the community center through DYS’ Family & Youth Enhancement Program.

For both after-school program age groups, Tanaka said that finishing homework first is a priority, and has become routine for the program participants. If they have homework, the program participants will finish their work at the center’s resource room. When finished, they join in on the day’s activities.

Those interested in registering their children for DYS’ after-school program can find registration forms online at dys.gov.mp or at the Kagman Community Center. These forms can be submitted to the community center in person, or by email to rlisua@dys.gov.mp or aolopai@dys.gov.mp.

Those wishing to learn more about the Oct. 29 event and/or about DYS services at the community center can call 670-237-1015/16/17/18/19 or visit the center from Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm except on holidays.