Ninety-five middle and high school students have completed the Vibrant Hawaiʻi Resilience Academy so far this summer, with three of eight scheduled academies finished across Hawaiʻi Island. Over three days, students build skills intended for immediate, practical use — household emergency preparedness, Hands-Only CPR, situational awareness, communication under pressure, and emergency response fundamentals. Organizers say the academy is designed to do more than transfer technic

Ten teams of licensed plumbers and apprentices spent a day earlier this month installing water catchment diverters for 30 households in the Volcano community, where ongoing ash and tephra fallout from Kīlauea has raised concerns about the safety of residents' primary water source. For many families in Volcano, rainwater catchment systems are not a backup supply — they are the only one. The diverters installed by volunteers are designed to temporarily redirect rainwater away f

Across two days in June, nearly 300 people from all four of Hawaiʻi's counties convened in Hilo for a statewide resilience conference: bringing together emergency management officials and grassroots community volunteers into the same training rooms. The Resilience Conference reflects a broader shift underway in disaster preparedness across Hawaiʻi: a growing recognition that formal emergency response systems function more effectively when paired with trained networks of commu

Since September, Vibrant Hawaiʻi’s KōCreate cohort has been gathering each month to strengthen the relationships, skills, and shared practices that help communities move from concern to coordinated action. KōCreate’s goal is simple and ambitious: support local leaders to design projects that are rooted in place, shaped by community priorities, and capable of building lasting civic participation across Hawaiʻi Island. To date, our 28 KōCreators, 3 VH Ambassadors, and facilit

Over 120 community members came together to celebrate the growth of the Koʻolau Resilience Hub Network and collectively design the action plan for 2026. The energy in the room reflected a simple truth: relationships are the foundation of resilience. This year’s gathering highlighted the accomplishments of the network: teams completed First Aid/CPR training, Chainsaw Safety Training, Psychological First Aid Training, and are developing Community Emergency Action plans. Throu

When the federal shutdown brought sudden uncertainty to families across Hawaiʻi Island—communities didn’t wait - they mobilized, stepped in for one another, and got to work. Over a three-week period, more than 70 Hawaiʻi Island donors contributed over $700,000 to support Aloha In Action. Nearly 500 volunteers gave over 2,000 hours across 14 community-led Points of Distribution, providing 6,000 families with food, gas cards, grocery cards, and essential resources. “Words c

At the Hawaiʻi Pacific Evaluation Association Conference , Vibrant Hawaiʻi Youth Ambassadors shared a story not just about data, but about transformation — introducing participants to Hikaloi, a Hawaiian practice of self-evaluation that guides both personal and community growth. For Vibrant Hawaiʻi, Hikaloi is more than a survey or checklist. It’s a way to see where we are — as individuals and as a collective — on a journey toward thriving communities, where people "Get Cha

Rooted in the belief that communities already hold the wisdom, relationships, and creativity to chart their own course, KōCreate redefines what leadership and community engagement look like. It shifts the focus from extraction to cultivation—from collecting input to nurturing agency. KōCreate positions community members not as advisors to someone else’s agenda, but as architects of their own solutions. On September 26, 27 community leaders from across Hawaiʻi Island came to

What happens when neighbors open their doors, share what they have, and care for the places they love? On Sunday, September 28, the first-ever #VibeHI Day answered that question in powerful ways. Across Hawaiʻi Island, 150 resident-led projects brought people together, touching the lives of more than 7,000 individuals with simple yet meaningful acts of aloha. On Kohala’s Water Works Road, neighbors turned a simple idea into a shared expression of abundance — a community frui

The Koʻolau Resilience Hub Network recently held a Project Kōkō Hands-Only CPR Train-the-Trainer Workshop, led by Hawaiʻi Island...

Vibrant Hawaiʻi, in partnership with Nā Kālai Waʻa and The Healy Foundation , has launched the second cohort of Hui Hānai Ka Moku—a...

Our Vibrant Hawai'i Ambassadors recently had the opportunity to engage in a transformative workshop designed to equip them with...

This year, 31 distribution sites across Hawaiʻi Island served 6,000 keiki each week from June 16 to July 25. “The underlying purpose of...

This summer, Vibrant Hawaiʻi Ambassadors hosted six Youth Resilience Academies across Hawaiʻi Island, engaging more than 60 youth between...

A transformative movement is taking root on Hawaiʻi Island—one that reimagines how communities come together to plan, lead, and shape...

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is a critical component of effective disaster response. In the aftermath of emergencies, timely and...

Since January, 12 emerging artists from across our communities engaged deeply with local art experts and cultural leaders. Each fellow...

Now in its fourth year, the Resilience Hub Summit has evolved into more than a gathering—it has become a space for reflection,...

As the ʻOAKA Art Fellowship comes to a close, our fellows came together for one final gathering filled with learning, reflection, and...

Fern Acres Hub, Puna Mākaukau now has five trained and certified chainsaw safety experts, marking a significant step in disaster...