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Newborn responses to pain, in fact,
are greater than those in adult subjects.

Fifty percent increases in heart rate
and three- to four- fold increases
in cortisol levels havebeen documented
in response to circumcision.


Circumcision meets the definition of a
traumatic event and a baby can go
into shock in response to the
procedure. The absence of crying can
be part of the shock response and
is not an indication that there is no
pain. Bodily signs show that severe
pain is always present.


The latest claim of pro-circumcision
advocates is that circumcision will
help prevent HIV. When one looks
closely at the studies used to support
this claim, it is clear that the men who
carried out the RCTs have a previous
history of promotingcircumcision. It
is also interesting to note that many
researchers have suffered circumcision
as infants and are likelyto defend
their beliefs to support circumcision.

On Natural Birth...
The real question about safety is not whether you want a pleasant birth at home or a safe birth in the hospital ? It is, “Do you want to give birth at home and run the miniscule risk of an emergency that might (but not necessarily would) be handled better in the hospital, or do you want to give birth in the hospital and run the considerably increased risk of infection, the certainty of additional stress, and the near certainty of having unnecessary (and potentially risky interventions?”) ~ Henri Goer

Members of the home birth movement have chosen their alternative form of care not through faulty understanding of medical principles, but as a result of active and reasoned disagreement with them. ~ Bonnie O’Connor

Gardens in the Schools

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As I work around the world helping build traditional birthing movements and educating medical personal and parents about the benefit of birthing naturally I am constantly asked how do we now raise a healthy child after we birth a healthy child.

 

Although we homeschooled my children, we always helped the local community get a garden project at their school. We were able to have our children part of a garden project and they and the other children were able to be together with the garden. When our children finally went to school in 9th grade, they were the ones who started the first garden school at their school.

Bringing subject matter into the gardens and outdoor classrooms is hands on learning. Kids love it, teachers love it and we all learn how to grow healthy food. With my move to Hawai’i years ago I wanted to do the same here.

 

The island I live on import 80% of the food. There is grant monies that are helping the local schools start gardens. It was not that long ago that the schools grew their own food.

 

I along with another woman, Kamuela, (a knowledgeable parent and friend in the community) have been working on a garden project  and outdoor classrooms at a local Hawaiian school.  We are building culturally healthy and responsive learning environments to incorporate cultural traditions, language, history, and values as meaningful holistic processes to nourish the emotional, physical, mental/intellectual, social, and spiritual, well-being of the child . Eventually this will have a great affect on the community at large.

Incorporating a garden project in a school needs to be embraced by administration, staff, and families. It is crucial that there are some hard working staff and parents involved. Although it takes a lot of energy, it is rewarding. My motto is that it is cheaper than a therapist. Those of us that are gardeners know that we get back a lot more than we put out. Our hands in the mother earth is healing and connecting us. The project I am working with will continue to create a Hawaiian school that is not only an amazing learning institution, but a model sustainable community school and bring back the pride of the children. This project is a step towards encouraging more learning to take place outdoors. We are implementing ongoing curriculum to sustain outdoor gardening projects.

 


Hawaiian history, values, farming practices, planting with the moon cycles, observing cultural planting times and customs and the arts are all incorporated in the garden project. Students will have hands on opportunities to take part in every aspect of their garden projects.

 

We continue to build relationships with knowledgeable people in our community to come and talk with our students, from composting, traditional dry rock stacking, land clearing, kalo farming, traditional herbal medicines, soil quality and lei making. The opportunities for the greater community to share and be involved are endless. Parents and elders are an active part of our garden as we want that to grow as the project grows. The garden will not only grow the fruits and vegetables that will be fed to keiki but also traditional plants used for medicines and lei making

 

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Our mission for this garden project is to embrace lifestyles of our farmers in traditional times. We study what is known as the traditional field system for the successful cultivation of kalo (taro), uala. (sweet potatoes), ulu (breadfruit) and many other types of food.

 

Our school is fortunate to sit directly in a fertile area and we all have much to explore and gain from its study. We will study the taro deeply, planting, harvesting, preparation and spiritual connection to the native people. Healthy lifestyle practices will be a constant strand of learning for this project.

 

Ultimately we want to get food that the children grew into our lunch room. At this time we are able to make meals for the children and have extra food for the parents to bring home.

 

Other areas of interest include growing vegetables, an aquaculture project and propagation of other native and endangered species. This project has the potential for a huge impact for the island, with 80% of Hawai’i’s food imported.


 In native thinking sustainability is where and what we come from and instead of creating it, t we are returning to it. This will be our approach with the children to being green and the idea of sustainability.


We are able to relate stories and traditions of our elders to this project therefore, building and enhancing stronger relationships to the environment around us to make them more intimate and family like.


 This project is to bring the community together including, parents and elders and members of our community for the benefit of the whole child as well as becoming a model school. With a huge percentage of people dying from diabetes and heart disease, the health of people will also benefit.

 

This education will come from the children back to their family  about healthy food growing and preparation. Students learning and practicing this at a young age are more likely to implement it as adults. These kind of  projects have the potential to impact many lives in a positive manner. Starting with our school, we are bridging gaps and developing relationships into our communities.

 

As a learning community we are committed to engage in activities independently or collaboratively with community members to perpetuate traditional ways of knowing, learning, teaching, and leading to sustain cultural knowledge and resources within the learning community.