Youth from Hawaiʻi and abroad gathered at the Don Hatch Youth Center in Tulalip, Washington, for an Aloha ʻĀina Advocacy Workshop hosted by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). As the registration sponsor for the Hawaiian Council’s annual Native Hawaiian Convention, OHA facilitated a special session for the ʻōpio (youth) track.
OHA Board Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele, Vice Chair Keoni Souza, Chair Emerita Hulu Lindsey, and Oʻahu Trustee Kalei Akaka, along with members of their teams, joined staff from Strategy and Implementation, Hawaiian Cultural Affairs, Community Engagement, and Research and Evaluation to work with over 30 youth participants.
Together, they explored OHA’s history, connected the agency’s kuleana for advocacy with aloha ʻāina actions from past to present, and offered tools to inspire culturally grounded advocacy in students’ own ʻohana, schools, and communities. Groups included haumāna from Ke Kula o Samuel M. Kamakau, Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Pūʻohala, Kamehameha Schools’ Kapālama and Keaʻau campuses, and ʻEkolu Mea Nui.
Sr. Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs Kumu Hailama Farden opened with a presentation on OHA’s creation, followed by Kūʻike Kamakea-ʻŌhelo, director of ʻŌiwi Wellbeing and ʻĀina Momona, who shared stories of aloha ʻāina advocacy. Director of Economic and Business Resilience Poni Askew guided ʻōpio through persuasive speaking exercises – skills she likened to pitching a business.
Trustees met in small groups with youth to share their ʻike, answer questions, and discuss challenges facing the lāhui in alignment with OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan.
Students then created advocacy plans using templates developed by OHA’s education team. An action-planning worksheet – using the imagery of a rock wall and inspired by the prophecy of Kapihe, which ends with “e kū ana ka paia” (the walls shall stand upright) – helped youth ground their plans in ʻāina, kaiāulu (community), and moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy). Topics included support for kaiapuni [Hawaiian medium] education, housing initiatives, and curriculum ideas.
The session concluded with creative expressions of advocacy, including art and haku mele (song composition). One group of haumāna composed additional lyrics to Kaulana Nā Pua that they performed at the closing of the session.
According to post- workshop surveys, 86% of participants felt prepared to address an issue in their community – a promising sign of the next generation carrying forward the spirit of aloha ʻāina.
In that spirit of advocacy, if you are an alumni of OHA’s ʻAha ʻŌpio programs, please complete our survey at oha.org/ahaopiosurvey to share your experiences.
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