Ola i ka ʻĀina - Mohala Nā Pua is a leadership development program grounded in ʻike kupuna and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi preparing individuals, primarily youth, to be aloha ʻāina leaders. Ola i ka ʻĀina - Mohala Nā Pua focuses on preparing the foundation, the soil and nutrients that will nurture, feed, and support the growth of our pua. Participants engaged in Hawaiian cultural practices through huakaʻi to wahi kupuna - Waiahole, Huilua, Pāhonu, Kāloko, and Kualoa.

Practices included the learning of pule; mele; oli; hoʻokani ʻukulele; haʻiʻōlelo; researching moʻokūʻauhau and wahi kupuna; holoholo; loko iʻa; Hāloa traditions; ʻūhau pōhaku; and kūkulu hale. These practices fostered the development of essential Hawaiian leader values and skills of ʻimi, hoʻonaʻauao, kilo, hana, mālama, laulima, haʻaheo, haʻahaʻa, aloha, and kuleana. Ola i ka ʻĀina - Mohala Nā Pua was conducted in both Hawaiian and English.

 

In this one-week intensive, participants were immersed in Hawaiian culture and language. We measured our program's success by the number of participants that attended; the number of wahi kupuna we were able to learn from and mālama; the number of cultural practices the youth were able to learn and engage in; the bonding and relationship building that occurred amongst the participants; the youth reflections and sharing that occurred throughout the week; and the final day youth presentation.

As listed in the prior paragraph, we engaged in, learned from, and worked at five wahi kupuna throughout the week. Participants were taught and learned at least 12 traditional practices (listed above). Working together and learning together daily, the youth became very close as a family and learned they could depend on each other.

Participants demonstrated their learning and growth in the work they did; through daily reflections and sharing of what they learned and how they would use the knowledge and experiences to further support the community; and on the final day when they presented and shared with their families some of the practices they learned and their big takeaways from the session.

These foundational lessons and learnings are the building blocks for aloha ʻāina leadership - connection to place and people, ʻike Hawaiʻi, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi - scholarship and education, stewardship and service, leadership and community building. Additional data and evidence to exhibit outcomes achieved are attached via testimonies, photos, and participant feedback below as examples of the learning and growth that occurred.