On Friday, July 29th, Kupua’e wrapped-up with a Hō‘ike presented by 23 keiki and four kumu at the Papakōlea Community Center. The keiki took the audience of over 100 community members through their four-week journey of lessons learned relating to their homestead, lo’i kalo, loko i’a, and more.
“I am proud of each keiki and our kumu, for their commitment to Kupua’e, and what we set-out to achieve,” stated Ms. Lilia Kapuniai, Executive Director of Papakōlea Community Development Corporation. “For most of the keiki, this was an introduction to Hawaiian language- and culture-based education, and they loved it.”
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I am thrilled that we were able to fulfill this vision of our community leaders, while engaging with third-fourth generation homesteaders of Papakōlea,” Kapuniai continued. Some interesting program statistics include:
- 23 keiki enrolled, with 7 attending Hawaiian language- and culture-based schools;
- 90% of respondents reported increased sharing of Hawaiian words, mele or oli at home; and
- 95% of respondents reported their keiki were satisfied-very satisfied with Kupua’e; and
- 100% of respondents believes Hawaiian language- and culture-based educational programs are important-very important.
Kupua‘e, the Papakōlea Summer Youth Program, was established in the summer of 2016 to serve keiki, ages 3-7, through Hawaiian language- and culture-based programming. Kupua’e started on Tuesday, July 5th, with maximum enrollment, and ended with the Hō‘ike on Friday, July 29th. Mahalo nui to our team of kumu and support, comprised of ‘Iolani Kamauoha Uli’i, Kahanu Walker, Kalehua Oliveira, Kaumuali’i Titcomb, and Kekaimalu Piena.
The program was made possible through support from First Hawaiian Bank, Friends of Hawaii Charities, Inc., the Hawaiian Way Fund, Hawaiian Community Assets, Kula No Na Po‘e Hawai‘i, Lincoln Elementary School, Malama ‘Āina Foundation, Peter Terry, Harold Johnston, and Polynesian Adventure Tours.
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In 2016, PCDC implemented its first summer youth program, Kupua‘e, utilizing ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i as its foundation in providing culture-based education, to 25 keiki of Papakōlea, ages 3-7. The program was incredibly successful by increasing access to ‘olelo Hawai‘i and culture-based programming, and promoting school readiness for pre-kindergarten/kindergarten levels. The 2016 Final Report is available for download and review by clicking here.
