Introduction
The institution that was the focus of the Capstone Project is Family Hui Hawaii, which is a non-governmental organization (NGO) located on Oahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands. The key goal of the NGO in question is to ensure the well-being of children by preventing abuse, neglect, isolation, and depression (Family Hui Hawaii 2016). The organization plays an important role in supporting local families through education and empowerment.
Capstone Project Introduction
The interventions of this NGO include community-based, peer-led support groups that raise awareness of positive parenting practices and providing parents with skills and the motivation to successfully use these skills at home. The groups consist of parents of children who are roughly the same age, which makes it easier for the participants to connect and establish trusting relationships with others (Family Hui Hawaii 2016).
Through its interventions, the organization is helping to promote child welfare on the island of Oahu and contributing to family resilience. However, to achieve its goals, Family Hui Hawaii needs to raise awareness of its services through an effective marketing strategy. The project was focused on researching and developing a marketing strategy that would attract more participants to the NGO and also encourage people from Hawaii and the mainland United States to donate. The title of the project was “Promoting Child Abuse Prevention Services in Oahu, Hawaii, and the United States.”
The services provided by the NGO are critical to the people of Oahu due to the prevalence of negative parenting practices in the area. According to the Hawaii Department of Human Services (Hawaii DHS 2017), the total number of reported cases of child abuse and neglect was 1,897 in 2017, with 605 of these cases confirmed. The most prominent factors associated with such a high incidence of neglect and abuse cases in Hawaii were the inability to cope with the responsibilities of parenting, unacceptable child-rearing methods, and drug abuse (Hawaii DHS 2017). These findings indicate that maltreatment of children is associated with high levels of stress and low coping capacity, a combination that often leads to neglect or violence.
Family Hui Hawaii’s efforts have a significant beneficial effect on child welfare, as they address these risk factors by providing support, teaching positive parenting practices, and referring parents to other specialists. Attracting more attention to the organization would increase support for its programs through donations and greater awareness of its services among local people. However, the effect of the marketing campaign could also influence child welfare in the mainland United States.
According to American SPCC (2018), child abuse and neglect are critical problems in the U.S., with 4.1 million reports of child maltreatment received in 2017. Thus by promoting the services provided by Family Hui Hawaii in the U.S. and attracting donations, the project will help to raise awareness about child maltreatment and draw more attention to the topic.
To demonstrate the importance of the topic, it is also necessary to identify the negative consequences of child abuse and neglect. Physically, children in abusive families can suffer from injuries, including fatal head trauma, visual and cognitive impairments, and decreased brain development (CDC 2018). In adulthood, those who were subject to abuse and neglect in the past are more likely to develop heart disease, cancer, and several chronic diseases (CDC 2018). As a result, child abuse affects not just the direct victims but also the entire healthcare system, as it increases healthcare expenditures.
The psychological effects of child maltreatment vary depending on the degree of violence and the length of the period of exposure. As explained by the CDC (2018), children and adolescents living in abusive families are prone to developing depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.
In extreme cases, abuse might lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attack disorder, and suicide (CDC 2018). It is also essential to note that being abused as a child might result in people using abusive parenting styles in adulthood, which increases the number of victims of abusive situations. The efforts of Family Hui Hawaii and similar organizations can stop child abuse and reduce the incidence of these physical and psychological issues.
Conclusion
The project was conducted by three people, each of whom was responsible for a particular part of the marketing plan. First, the group met with the organization’s leaders to discuss essential goals and receive information about the NGO’s services. Next, the group gathered references for the marketing plan by researching organizations that excel at marketing, collecting samples of press releases and flyers, and studying social media promotional strategies.
During the second meeting with the client, the group reported the findings and presented a plan of action. Survey questionnaires, an introduction, and a literature review were created after the second meeting.
After this, the team provided the organization with new flyers, social media updates, and ideas for generating publicity. Over the next two months, the results from the questionnaires were gathered and analyzed, and the project paper was written to present project results. The final presentation included all information about the project, its objectives, and the progress made during the past three months.
Bibliography
American SPCC. (2018). “Child Maltreatment Statistics in the U.S.” AmericanSPCC.org. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2018). “Child Abuse and Neglect: Consequences.” CDC.gov. Web.
Family Hui Hawaii. (2018). “The Hiu Program.” FamilyHuiHawaii.org.
Hawaii Department of Human Services (Hawaii DHS). (2017). A Statistical Report on Child Abuse and Neglect.