EDUCATION STREAM
Bridging pathways for a skilled, fulfilled, globally engaged, and thriving Hawaiʻi Island community.
The Issue
Ma ka hana ka ʻike. #2088 By doing, one learns.
The reality is, equitable access to resources, technology, hands-on learning opportunities, and workforce development is a challenge for many of our rural communities.
Through Vibrant Hawaiʻi we had 3D printing in our village! We are remote. We don't have electric or water, but we did it with a generator." - Kaimi Kaupiko, Kua O Ka Lā Teacher, Miloliʻi Campus
The Strategy
The Education Stream invests in learning initiatives that are centered in equity, grounded in indigenous ways of knowing, and builds a strong foundation to ensure everyone has a chance at meaningful workforce advancement. We believe that everyone has an ʻike (knowledge) to contribute toward the learning journey of another.
"We recognized a need for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) in the Waimea community to work in area clinics, doctor offices the local hospital, and most importantly - be available to in-home health visits. With support from Vibrant Hawai‘i, 4 CNA training scholarships were offered to residents in the Waimea region. In this process we recognized an even greater need to offer strategies and assistance to improve a student or adult’s potential in the workplace and in their career trajectory; it was more than finding a job— it was building their future! We will continue with this greater initiative!" - Lauren Avery
Equitable Access To Learning
"I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to learn a little more about computers! This is fantastic! I have plans of going back to school, getting more education, starting a nonprofit and giving back to the community."
In January 2022, Vibrant Hawaiʻi engaged community-based instructors to distribute refurbished laptops, facilitate computer skills workshops in rural communities, and connect residents with the Emergency Broadband Benefit. Read more >
Snapshot of Project Outcomes
- 300 participants in a 90-day project period
- 91% of participants either strongly agreed or agreed to being more confident using an email.
- 78% are willing to use a computer for online health appointments.
- 55% would use a computer to seek employment and submit an employment application online.
- 84% are willing to participate in future online learning opportunities.
Vibrant Hawaiʻi is committed to advancing digital equity and is a proud member of the Hawaiʻi Island Digital Equity Collaborative (HIDEC), led by the County of Hawaiʻi.
Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Hoʻoikaika Kilo is a 90 minute workshop that integrates Kuʻu Moʻo ʻŌlelo o Nā Pō o Ka Mahina, resources and tools to support ʻāina momona within ourselves, communities, and lāhui. Learn about an initiative here in Hawaiʻi that supports productive and thriving communities of people, place, and natural resources, natural cycles and seasonal indicators of place, and how to track and understand your own personal story and relationship to the moon.
Pelika Andrade is a founder and the Executive Director of Na Maka Onaona. She has a long history working with Hawaiʻi communities throughout the archipelago as a hoaʻāina, community member, sailor, cultural practitioner and researcher.
How does the practice of kilo fit into and inform our daily lives in modern society? How do we co-relate the external kilo of our environment with our internal kilo of ourselves? In this workshop we will continue the learning journey of kilo and explore incorporating kilo as a way of grounding and nourishing ourselves in these ever-changing times. Building and strengthening pilina with place and people is key.
No Oʻahu mai au, e noho ana ma ka Moku ʻo Hawaiʻi. ʻO Kaupakuea koʻu ʻāina, ʻo Kapehu ka wai, ʻo Shelby Kāhele Moana Nahale-a koʻu inoa. I invest my time and energy into sacred reciprocity and strive to embody aloha. I have received education from institutions like UH Hilo, MIT and Harvard, but none of that compares to what I have learned from ʻike kupuna and continue to learn through kilo daily.