CHANGING LIVES EMPOWERING YOUTH MAKING A DIFFERENCE www.naoiwikane.org
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I maika‘i ke kalo i ka ‘ohā The goodness of the taro is judged by the young plants it produces
‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 1232
Copyright © 2021 Nā ‘Oiwi Kāne. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copywright Act 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed by Nā ‘Oiwi Kāne, in the United States of America. Nā ‘Oiwi Kāne, Changing Lives, Empowering Youth, Making a Difference 3rd Edition, July 1, 2021 www.naoiwikane.org
E KOMO MAI ABOUT US OUR MISSION OUR JOURNEY OUR PROGRAMS
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Ua lehulehu a manomano ka ‘ikena a ka Hawai‘i Great and numerous is the knowledge of the Hawaiians
‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 2814
OUR MISSION Nā ‘Ōiwi Kāne was founded in 2001 with the goal of empowering our Native Hawaiian community to achieve lasting success through a recommitment to Native Hawaiian values and culture. To realize our goal we established an endowment through our controlling interest in several for-profit companies. These funds have been used to provide grants for programs and projects focusing on transferring the skills, values, and practices of the traditional Hawaiian way of life to the most vulnerable members of our community. Our mission is to continue to grow the reach of our programs to strengthen our Native Hawaiian community, so we can rise together.
E ALA Ē
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‘A‘ohe pilo uku No reward is a trifle
‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 205
GROWING OUR GIVING We are proud to have grown our fund every year since its inception. Since our early partnership with Partners In Development Foundation in 2005, we have been able to increase our annual grant awards which has grown the programs funded, and reach in the Native Hawaiian community annually.
Donated to the Nā ‘Ōiwi Kāne Fund
Grants awarded to 501c(3) organizations
Native Hawaiian families reached through sponsored programs Unique programs funded by Nā ‘Ōiwi Kāne since 2005
OUR JOURNEY Being the first Native Hawaiian Organization certified in the SBA 8(a) program has presented us with great opportunities and great challenges. We are proud of the achievements we have made so far and look forward to the path ahead.
2001 Nā ‘Ōiwi Kāne (NOK) established as first Native Hawaiian Organization in the SBA 8(a) program. Created with a mission to help native Hawaiian youth.
2005 Initial support for Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) by funding existing program focused on assisting single parent Hawaiian families.
2001-2004 Preliminary research to identify groups most in need of assistance. NOK determines the focus of their efforts should be on fatherless households.
2006 PIDF fact finding study funded by NOK aimed at designing a program to address the mission of NOK.
2007 Initial funding for new mentoring program at Laupāhoehoe, Hawai‘i.
2009 Expansion of youth mentoring program to include Wai‘anae, O‘ahu.
2011 Second Wai‘anae mentoring program started with a focus on homeless family education.
2014 Funding for Ke Kama Pono Safehouse in Wai‘anae.
2014 Increased partnership with PIDF to support TŪtŪ & Me traveling preschool to serve low income families throughout Hawai‘i.
2017 Partner with Friends of the Future to fund after school based farming and animal raising using indigenous microorganisms and techniques.
2018 Extend funding to PIDF’s Nā Pono No Nā ‘Ohana, a family education program based in Waimānalo, Oahu.
2018 Partner with Consortium for Hawai‘i Ecological Engineering Education to fund Mahope o ke kula a‘o mau ana after-school program at Richardson Ocean Center in Hilo, Hawaii.
2019 Funding to Nā Aikane O Pu‘ukohalā Heiau pilot program to re-establish the indigenous artform of Hawaiian featherwork with a focus on ‘ahu ‘ula.
2020 Funding of Nā Kālai Wa‘a who teach culture and values through non instrument navigation and open ocean voyaging.
2021 Funding to new PIDF Kupa ‘Aina dedicated to the causes of food security and sustainability using both new techniques and traditional methods.
SHARED VALUES BETTER RESULTS Once we created the Nā ‘Ōiwi Kāne Fund we began looking for a 501 (c)(3) organization which shared our ideals, goals, and passion for the Native Hawaiian community. In our discussions with Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) we found their mission perfectly aligned with ours. In PIDF we have a partner who has the experience and infrastructure necessary to maximize the effectiveness of each dollar we give. Together we have been able to craft and expand programs to make a greater impact than we could alone.
To inspire and equip families and communities for success and service using timeless Native Hawaiian values and traditions -Partners in Development Foundation Mission Statement
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Ma ka hana ka ‘ike In working one learns
‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 2088
LAUPAHOEHOE MENTORING PROGRAM When we funded a study to develop a program aimed at making an impact on the at-risk Native Hawaiian youth we had only two requirements; first, the target group should be taught Native Hawaiian values and skills; second, they will be exposed to the disciplines of economic development. Our goal was to create a program designed to empower the youth who are most vulnerable in our community. We hoped to instill pride through a deeper understanding and appreciation for their cultural heritage and prepare them for the world around them through exposure to business practices. With these goals in mind PIDF developed an after school mentoring program similar to the Big Brothers program, with mature, culturally sensitive, Native Hawaiian males paired with identified Native Hawaiian boys and girls who live in fatherless households. This project was conducted at Laupāhoehoe on the Island of Hawai‘i with great results. During the project, youths were taught how to make a traditional Native Hawaiian paniolo saddle and other leather goods to develop business plans for marketing and selling the products they created. Also, some of the students learned how to propagate endemic plants native to Hawai‘i and develop business plans for the marketing of those products in a growing industry where the public has demonstrated its interest in acquiring these native plants.
PLANTING FOR A BETTER TOMORROW
FROM RAWHIDE TO FINISHED PRODUCT
TEACHING SKILLS AND CULTURE After successfully piloting a mentoring program at Laupahoehoe, Hawai‘i we asked PIDF to expand the program to reach familes in Wai‘anae, Oahu.
Students working in a traditional Hawaiian lo‘i
In 2009, we began funding a youth mentoring project focused on three primary activities: the science of natural farming, carpentry skills, and the tradition of ‘imu cooking. These activities all promote an active and healthy lifestyle the students and their families will be able to continue throughout their lives. This program aims to provide students and their families with the skills and self-esteem to help lift them out of poverty.
Natural Farming Students learned how to plant, grow, harvest, and take vegetables to market. The students used a combination of new and traditional techniques to grow crops without the use of pesticides.
Carpentry Skills Under professional supervision and using industrial tools and techniques the students were able to learn and construct small projects.
Traditional ‘Imu Cooking ‘Imu cooking is an important part of Hawaiian culture and tradition. The communal nature of the process brings everyone together for both work and celebration.
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Na ke kanaka mahi‘ai ka imu Ō nui The well-filled imu belongs to the man who tills the soil ‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 2239
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Kau i Kapua ka po‘e polohuku ‘ole Without resources one gets nowhere
‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 1608
KE KAMA PONO This program was designed to educate and strengthen at-risk middle/high school students through various mentorships to increase self-esteem and confidence while instilling skills learned through experiences. The safehouse provides these students and their families a place to live while cultivating a joy of learning and encouraging self sufficiency. There are five core Hawaiian values: Aloha, Lōkahi, Mālama, Pono, and Po‘okela, which are central to this program and are not only instilled upon the staff but with the Ke Kama Pono (KKP) residents as well. The residents learn and practice the values through the different mentoring projects throughout their stay in the program. It is our hope that the KKP residents gain an understanding of each Hawaiian value, be able to demonstrate it with each other and with their family.
SAFEHOUSE
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O ke kahua mamua, mahope ke kŪkule Learn all you can then practice ‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 2459
KA PA‘ALANA HOMELESS FAMILY EDUCATION This program works with at-risk youth and their families. The work with youth’s families is done through the monthly parenting meetings and treatment team meetings. The youth are involved in cultrual mentoring projects, construction instruction, and agricultural and livestock work at the Mountain View Dairy (MVD), caring for chickens, and maintaining an aquaponics system.
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‘A‘ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho‘okāhi All knowledge is not taught in the same school ‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 203
TŪTŪ AND ME In Hawai‘i, the use of older family members to care for children ages birth to five years old, is a very familiar practice. Grandparents, or tūtū, are often the primary caregivers of their young grandchildren because of socio-economic conditions, as well as the value of ‘ohana (family). Tūtū and Me aims to identify, recruit, and service this underserved segment of the Native Hawaiian population through an innovative traveling preschool program done in cooperation with churches and community organizations serving the Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian community. Tūtū and Me aims to meet the developmental needs of these young children and to support the grandparents as well as parents and other primary caregivers who are raising them.
MAHOPE O KE KULA KE A‘O MAU ANA The goal of the Mahope O Ke Kula Ke A‘o Mau Ana (a continuation of learning after school) program is to inspire students and their facilitators from Native Hawaiian communities to achieve academic success in math and science through the experience of Hawaiian cultural values and practices with hands-on learning during and after the school year, intersession and summer breaks.
In-school Science and math support for middle school students and teachers through curriculum training and supplement, tutoring, teaching, and mentoring.
After school Hands-on STEM and Hawaiian cultural experiences, increasing student knowledge of STEM content as aligned to the common core math and next generation science standards.
Intersession Expose students to STEM by integrating math and science with Hawaiian cultural practices.
‘AHU‘ULA WORKSHOPS
Native Hawaiian arts have been in decline since the middle of the 1800’s and due to a small group of practitioners many have been revived since the Hawaiian renaissance in the 1970’s. One indigenous Hawaiian artform which had been almost completely lost was feather cape making. Luckily, Rick San Nicolas has taken the knowledge passed to him through a line of kumu hulu which dates back to the the time of Kamehameha and developed a workshop to share his skills. This series of workshops aims to teach and perpetuate the knowledge and skills of feather cape making to those select Hawaiian cultural practitioners who have the appropriate traditional purpose, need, personal commitment and desire to learn, make and possess such a treasured and sacred piece. We hope this program leads to the revitalization of this valuable Native Hawaiian art.
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Ua lehulehu a manomano ka ‘ikena a ka Hawai‘i Great and numerous is the knowledge of the Hawaiians ‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 2814
PIHA ME KA PONO This new initiative at the Kohala Schools Complex on Hawai‘i Island cultivates partnerships to bring needed academic, health, and social support services for students and their families. “The Complex’s three schools are Title I eligible and it has been recognized that so many of the students are coming to school with excess baggage,” says Alison Masutani, PIDF Vice President of Operations and the Program Manager for Pili a Pa‘a. “Unless we help to remove that baggage, no matter how strong the instruction is, the students will have difficulty learning.” That ‘baggage’ Masutani is referring to includes poverty, food insecurity, and poor physical, mental or emotional health.
One of the Project’s goals is to increase academic achievement of disadvantaged and under-served students through the development of after school enrichment programs able to provide positive alternatives for students’ free time. Support from the Nā ‘Ōiwi Kāne Fund will go towards two different mentorship programs: sports conditioning and music. The Piha me ka Pono Project is an offshoot of the existing Pili a Pa’a program, which was created to build teachers’ skills in instructional delivery in order to raise student achievement, particularly for the Native Hawaiian students, and it is also at the Kohala Schools Complex.
Kohala Elementary
Kohala Middle
Kohala High
HUI O NA ‘OPIO Make leaders of tomorrow by giving them a firm foundation of who they are and where they come from as people of Hawai‘i instilling Hawaiian morals and values taught to us and passed down through the generations from our kupuna who came before us. As a program we are constantly striving to create the best opportunities for our students so that they are able to become the leaders of tomorrow. The program has seen much success through competitions, international tours and trips, stadium performances, and appearances in music videos. Kawai‘ulaokala and Hui o Na ‘Opio are now able to improve the caliber of our hula and leadership potential through resuming inter-island hula retreats and traveling internationally for cultural exchanges.
KA HANA NO‘EAU This menotring program at Honoka‘a Intermediate and High School has had a tremendous impact on underserved student mentees who were able to connect with a strong, positive adult role model and form positive, supportive relationships. It became even more important to form these connections during the time of COVID-19 and virtual learning when it has been difficult to form relationships. Model Rocket Building: Students design, construct, launch and recover their model rockets and in the process learn real world STEAM skills. They learn basic science, mathematics, and engineering skills through the process. After mentees launch their rockets, they re-engineer them to see how they can improve the flight, developing their problem solving skills. This mentorship encouraged several mentees to pursue STEM careers. Fine Arts: The focus of the mentorship is drawing, painting, and sculpture. Fine Arts teaches mentees to use observation, think creatively, innovate, take risks, and develop problem solving and social skills. Mentees learn about their own and other cultures and work on integrated projects. The Fine Arts are an integral part of STEAM careers.
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ʻAʻohe loaʻa i ka noho wale. Nothing is gained by idleness.
‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 173
Kinai `Eha translated from Hawaiian means “To Extinguish Pain.” Kinai ‘Eha aims to provide an alternative education option to ‘ōpio (youth) who are in need of and seeking purpose, personal empowerment, education, Hawaiian cultural identity and connection, workforce training in construction and the trades, community service and leadership. We believe in meeting the youth where they are at and build upon their strengths. Our program is located at the Kawailoa Youth and Family Wellness Center (former Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility) in Kailua and serves approximately 20 youth annually. Male and female youth self-select into the program or are referred by neighboring programs RYSE (Residential Youth Services and Empowerment) and HYCF.
NĀ KĀLAI WAʻA “He wa‘a he moku, he moku he wa‘a” Clay Bertelmann, founder of Nā Kālai Wa‘a, uttered these words, simply meaning the canoe is our island, and the island is our canoe, when explaining the unique holistic nature of wa’a practices and how they relate to us individually and as a larger community. Simply put, what we do on land like we do on the canoe. This is the vision of Nā Kālai Wa‘a and the foundation of our work with our communities.of the rich legacy that he has brought back to Hawai‘i.
Nā Kalai Wa‘a is a non-profit 501c (3) organization dedicated to the maintaining of cultural values and customs through the teaching and applying of non instrument navigation and open ocean voyaging.
One of the best ways to learn the specialness of waʻa culture and practices is to stand on the deck of the canoe and experience the shared kuleana that is a part of a voyaging waʻa. To learn about waʻa is to learn about community and how a small group of people come together to care for each other, to learn ancient ways, and to teach all that has been passed on by our kupuna. It is about knowing the work that must be done to voyage safely in order to reach a destination that has been planned and executed according to ancient methods and beliefs.
KUPA ‘AINA Kupa ʻAina is paving the way for a food-secure Hawaiʻi by developing sustainable food production models. By working with at-risk Native Hawaiian youths, we provide them a connection to their community and culture through ʻāina-based experiential learning. Our goal is to nurture their soul so they develop the skills to succeed. We implement Natural Farming practices encompassing traditional Hawaiian agricultural methods and practices used across various other sustainable agricultural models. We utilize locally sourced indigenous microorganisms collected from areas near the farm to rejuvenate the land and produce high-yield, high-nutrient crops. Native Hawaiians had a thriving population supported by 100% stustainable farming systems. Through the process of rediscovering and practicing the art of feeding our families we have reestablished a connection with the land. We take the traditional agricultural practices and apply them to the contemporary issues we face as an island community, namely food security and sustainability.
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He ala ehu aku kēnā That is an uncertain path
‘Ōlelo No‘eau - 524
MAHALO CONTACT US 1 Aarona Place Kailua, HI 96734
www.naoiwikane.org