Aloha ʻĀina
Aloha ʻĀina, in every place and space for ʻōiwi in Hawaii.
Hawaiian culture, ʻōlelo, and community-focused programs on ʻāina, with ʻohana, in classrooms, and online that grow poʻe aloha ʻāina, leaders connected to kaiāulu and driven by kuleana.
Ea is as fundamental to a thriving lāhui as water is to a fish, as air is to a human, and as a rudder is to a ship at sea. In 1871, David Kahalemaile gave a speech to commemorate Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea, insisting that ea is necessary for life.
Yet, ea is not a final state. Nor is it a political statement. Ea is breathing. It is a daily practice that can mature and grow under the right conditions. Everyday acts of ea can seem small, but make a world of difference. Consider the backyard māla, the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi option at the ATM, or attending an information session about a community issue... none of these things are overtly heroic or world changing on their own. But, each of these things is a breath, a life sustaining breath. The work of ea is not easy. We will not always agree on the work and how to do it. But no matter what, we must keep breathing.
To this end, we have realigned our community partnership investments and dedicated a substantial portion to support aloha ʻāina learning opportunities for keiki and ʻōpio across the paeʻāina o Hawaiʻi.
Our goal is to ensure that all Native Hawaiian learners have every opportunity to fulfill their potential as tomorrow’s local and global leaders as culturally engaged poʻe aloha ʻāina who play significant roles in establishing ea, strong ‘ohana, and communities throughout Hawaiʻi and beyond. To achieve this goal, we recognize the critical importance of standing shoulder to shoulder with partners in the community to engage in this work.
