The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $350,471 to INPEACE through the Native Hawaiian Education Program to support an afterschool culture- and place-based program that engages Native Hawaiian youth in the discovery of self, cultural identity, and connection to place in order to promote and develop motivation, pride, and leadership skills to envision and work towards a positive future and academic success.
The Eō Program will operate on the premise that connection to culture, community, history, and traditional practices can be instrumental to the youth’s success in both school and community life, indicated in research conducted by both Native Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian scholars alike. Each program unit implements strategies that engage Native Hawaiian youth in a rediscovery process of self, culture, and family values and practices as they relate to Hawaiian ‘ike (knowledge) and ways of life. The program enables the engagement of youth (grades 4-6) across multiple years through a scaffolded system of progressive leadership roles and skill development prior to their transition into middle school.
| “Eō will provide an opportunity to identify elementary aged students and increase both their cultural knowledge and leadership skills. This program will include key components such as participation of Kupuna to interact with the students daily, interaction with practitioners of different professions giving students a broad understanding of opportunities and Huaka’i (fieldtrips) to explore and experience things that they have never done before.”– Sanoe Marfil, INPEACE Chief Program Officer |
