The term “hōʻama” means “to begin to mature or ripen,” like adolescents reaching maturity. Drawing upon this term, our HoAMa Summer Mentorship Program sought to nurture the growth of young people in our Hāmākua community (ages 5-13), as they mature cultivating abundance in their lives and in the lives of their ʻohana & community through education, aloha and kuleana.

The HoAMa Summer Mentorship Program sought to create a safe learning environment for our keiki to cultivate strong relationships and support networks with peers, mentors, and ʻohana, to support their success in school, at home, and in our communities. We believe that healthy keiki thrive when they are rooted in strong, healthy ʻohana, communities, and ʻāina (land). As such, our HoAMa Summer Mentorship Program engaged our keiki and their ʻohana in hands-on learning through ʻāina-based education, including community gardening, arts and crafts, storytelling through mele (song) and hula, lessons with local kūpuna (elders), huakaʻi (excursions), and much more.

Program Goals:
* To mentor and cultivate our next generation of youth in Hāmākua, rooted in our Hawaiian cultural values of aloha (love), mālama (care), ʻohana (family), kuleana (responsibility), haʻahaʻa (humility), and aloha ʻāina (love for land)
* To cultivate a strong sense of kuleana to mālama (care for) ʻāina (land), ʻohana, community, and lāhui (nation)
* Restore abundance on our ʻāina and in our ʻohana, community, and lāhui