Attention Youth & Teens! Join us for Speak Out Camp!

What is Speak Out for Military Kids?

Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) is a core program of Operation: Military Kids. SOMK is an on-going youth-driven commnity outreach program. Through SOMK, you'll help to generate community awareness of issues found by youths in National Guard & Reserve families, helping to foster community activities serving the problems found by these youth and their families.

SOMK is available to both military and non-military youth. Through simulations, interviews & research, participants find out first hand what military families go through during deployment. Based on their experiences, SOMK youth utilize various methods to communicate print and media messages which increases community awareness. The SOMK youth develop public service announcements, news, and posters to build public awareness and support of militar youth.

The expected Outcomes for SOMK are:

Raise community awareness of issues faced by geographically dispersed military children and youth

• Foster community support for the sacrifices military Families make
• Youth acquire knowledge and skills in developing creative and informative presentations using a variety of different media
• Youth gain leadership, research, organization, & public speaking skills

To view our SOMK video, click here.

Apply to SOMK camp here (form fillable pdf)

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who can come to Speak Out camp?  Military-dependent or non-military youth, ages 12-18 are invited.

Why Speak Out?  One of the issues facing military youth and families is the lack of community awareness of the unique stressors and challenges they face during times of conflict and war.  This lack of understanding by the general public can make military youth feel isolated and misunderstood. 

What happens after Camp?  The goal, after camp, is to have the youth participants meet at least one additional time to finish whatever projects they started at the Speak Out camp.  However, if youth wish to continue to meet to talk, create new materials or recruit new members, OMK project staff would support this effort.

How much is Camp?  Operation: Military Kids covers most costs, including renting space to have the camp, lunch, snacks, workshop leaders and materials.  Teens will be expected to pay a small amount for items not covered by our funding.

To view the Speak Out for Military Kids presentations, click on a link below:
*Best viewed with MS Powerpoint 2003 or later*

• Aliamanu Boys & Girls Club

• AMR Teen Center

• Wahiawa Boys & Girls Club

• Schofield Teen Center

*Note* Some of the presentations require fonts which may not be present on your system.
To install these fonts, click on the links below and save the fonts to the C:\Windows\Fonts\
folder on your PC or the /Library/Fonts/ folder on your Mac.

Batavia.ttf
Trendy.ttf