KAʻA Keiki Assets Account
The Keiki Assets Account (KAʻA) is a program designed to help families enrolled in the Family Child Interaction Learning (FCIL) Programs of Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) and partner organizations plan and save for their keiki’s educational future.
By participating in the KAʻA program, families will gain knowledge in: Financial Literacy & Education on a variety of financial topics, how to build Financial Capabilities for all members of the ʻohana, and assistance in early planning for keiki’s college education/vocational training.
Please click the boxes below to learn more about KAʻA's partner organizations.
INPEACE, the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture, is committed to improving the quality of life for Native Hawaiians through community partnerships that provide educational opportunities and promote self-sufficiency.
- Ho'oulu Waiwai: a collaborative program of the KA'A program. Ho‘oulu Waiwai works with individuals and families to strengthen financial well-being though partnerships, pathways and learning experiences that nurture personal financial wellness and entrepreneurial development.
Financial Institution partner of KA'A that families utilize to make personal deposits to their Child Savings Accounts. ASB also provides financial literacy workshops and informational sessions that cover topics such as financial management, educational savings accounts, and more.
FCIL Programs, Private, and Public Charter Preschools: Early education and preschool families of Partners in Development Foundation (Tutu and Me, Nā Pono No Nā ʻOhana, and Ka Pa'alana), INPEACE (Hi'ilei, and Keiki Steps), 'Aha Pūnana Leo, and Public Charter Preschool programs are eligible to apply for the KA'A Child Savings Account Program.
Opportunity FOR Youth Action Hawaiʻi Kawailoa Youth and Family Wellness Center
The “Kawailoa: A Transformative Indigenous Model to Replace Youth Incarceration” project supports youth to find their roles as healers and community contributors by replacing youth incarceration with a Native Hawaiian restorative system that empowers communities, trains youth healers, and shifts resources to community-driven and culturally-grounded puʻuhonua, sanctuaries of support, for opportunity youth.
The Opportunity for Youth Action Hawaiʻi (OYAH) hui is a unique collaboration of state and nonprofit agencies at the Kawailoa Youth and Family Wellness Center, reflecting a central campus as a puʻuhonua, or place of peace, safety, and healing for Hawaiʻi's most vulnerable youth and young adults. Services offered share the vision to empower and equip youth with the skills needed for long-term success and independent living. Our Kupa 'Aina program is a partner of this initiative. You can learn more about the organizations on the Kawailoa campus involved and how to support them below.
The Hawaiʻi project was recognized by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Lever for Change as one of five global awardees of the Racial Equity 2030 challenge, an open call for bold solutions to drive an equitable future for children, families and communities worldwide. The Challenge is awarding $90 million to help build and scale actionable ideas for transformative change in the systems and institutions that uphold racial inequities.
Learn more are www.wearekawailoa.org
HYCF is the statewide juvenile prison that works closely with the courts and the Office of Youth Services to ensure that any commitment to the HYCF is a last resort— after all community-based services have been exhausted. Identification of community-based programs, such as those offered by KYFWC, as alternatives to incarceration is ongoing.
Kinai ‘Eha aims to provide an alternative education option to ‘ōpio (youth) that 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.
Olomana School, part of Hawaii Department of Education, is an alternative-education school that offers classes for students in seventh grade through twelfth grade all while giving students a fresh start in the journey for education.
Residential Youth Services and Empowerment (RYSE), a 501(c)(3) operates an access center where Hawai‘i’s street youth are assessed and referred to appropriate support services. Youth in the target range of 18-24 have access to a safe temporary living space specifically designed to address their unique needs. The access center offers coordinated programs and services to build a path towards reintegration into mainstream society.
'Eleu
‘Eleu is a collective of five early childhood education agencies that believe by advocating together with one voice, we can ensure that the children and communities of Hawaiʻi will continue to flourish. The organizations share expertise in Family-Child Interaction Learning. Please click the boxes below to learn more about the organizations that make up the partnership.
ʻAha Pūnana Leo strives to ensure that the Hawaiian Language lives. Rooted in their mission to drive and inspire change to ensure a living Hawaiian language in Hawaiʻi and beyond,.
ALU LIKE, Inc. is a private, non-profit service organization that has assisted Native Hawaiians in their efforts to achieve social and economic self-sufficiency. ALU LIKE, Inc. has a comprehensive range of services and activities to fill identified needs in the Native Hawaiian community, including community economic development, business assistance, employment preparation, training, library services, educational and childcare services for families with young children.
INPEACE, the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture, is committed to improving the quality of life for Native Hawaiians through community partnerships that provide educational opportunities and promote self-sufficiency.
Keiki O Ka `Āina Family Learning Centers (KOKA-FLC) works to educate children, strengthen families, enrich communities, and perpetuate culture.
We Are Oceania
The mission of We Are Oceania (WAO) is to empower our Micronesian community to navigate success while honoring the integrity of their diverse heritage. The Micronesia region faces many challenges such as U.S. militarization and weapons testing, loss of land from rising ocean levels, and lack of a sustainable local food supply. An estimated 15,000 to 17,000 people have left their homes in search of a better life for themselves and their families here in Hawai‘i. They play a leading role in the fight against Covid-19 for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community.
WAO received 501(c)3 status in 2021 after an initial pilot grant awarded by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs designated Partners in Development Foundation as their mentor organization. WAO was created by a core group of Micronesian leaders and stakeholders in Hawai‘i whose aim is to advocate for the overall health and wellbeing of Micronesian people and communities.
Hālau Ola (House of Life), is dedicated to the needs of the Micronesian community and offers a myriad of services, such as referral, acculturation, finding employment and housing, education, health insurance enrollment, and wrap-around case management services. WAO also assists service providers, local and other immigrant populations.
WAO operates out of a one-stop shop at St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church in Kalihi. While their offices are on Oʻahu, their services are available throughout the Neighbor Islands through their Kōkua Staff on call.
For more information on We Are Oceania, visit their main website at weareoceania.org or call (808) 754-7303.
The Micronesian youth summit (MYS) rests on four pillars essential to navigating success: college readiness, career readiness, solidarity, and community readiness. students are able to attend workshops, forums, discussions, and other activities. Just as important, it allows Micronesians to talk about their history and culture.
The annual cultural celebration is an opportunity for Micronesian youth to be empowered and explore their dreams, strengths, and potentials, as well as hold conversations with Micronesian leaders, grassroot organizations, and allies in the community.
The Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community is the smallest represented community in the state, yet the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, WAO launched a live Helpline, a culturally and linguistically-tailored resource available in five Pacific languages, assisting individuals and their families in accessing state quarantine and isolation facilities, training, testing, and contact tracing. The helpline is available daily from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. at (808) 913-1364.
A live, online platform for language-based discussions on relevant topics and cover information about COVID-19 mitigation tips, community resources, job openings, health insurance enrollment assistance, and more in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manners. The Talk Stories feature staff from Chuuk, the Marshall Islands, Pohnpei, and Kosrae speaking their own languages to reach individuals and families who cannot access services due to lack of English proficiency.
To join or watch an Island Hopper Virtual Talk Story, go to facebook.com/WeAreOceania
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