Ka Makani Kaiaulu o Waianae: Students find their voice through stories of the people

WAIANAE—In its second year, Ka Makani Kaiaulu o Waianae, a summer youth environmental justice institute, is training the minds of Waianae teens to help provide a better community for future generations. 

A group of 10 high school students have been spending their summer learning more about their community, addressing environmental issues, and finding ways to make an impact with residents on the Waianae coast.

With the institute rapping up its five-week long program this Friday, the teens have taken just a small step in helping with the bigger picture. During the five weeks, the students heard first-hand from residents how they are dealing with living near the PVT landfill site, learned from activists in Makua valley who are making an effort to stop military actions on the land, and participated in a Land Use Commission hearing to help stop the rezoning of a residential area planned to be turned into a industrial park.

This year, the focus was on students using the information they gathered to address the problems they learned about and share it with the public. Meeting five days a week, five hours a day, the teens’ goal was to document social and environmental justice issues through video.

With help from former Olelo workers, the teens have been working on a digital storytelling project that will be presented to the community.

“[We’re] showing people how rich Waianae is in culture. We are producing some of the best people and product including produce from Mao Farms and the creative minds at Olelo,” said Kyle Kajihiro, the program’s coordinator. “The message we like to convey to the people outside Waianae is that we are developing young people as leaders and organizers so they can as a collective group address these problems. And that we shouldn’t be passive people but make history by our actions.”

With this year’s program coming to an end, the students are left wanting to do more.

“What drives me the most to want to do more is seeing and hearing the people and the hurt that they have,” one returning institute student said. “It hurts me because we are the next generation, we need to do something about it. The experience I’m gaining now I can share with other people so we can give back and see what needs to be done.”

Many of the youth involved came into the program not knowing what to expect and were at first tentative about joining. However, Kajihiro spoke with the teens to instill upon them the importance of having an understanding, that their voices matter, and that they need to work together to make a difference.

“Waianae needs more voices,” the returning institute student added. “A lot of people are affected by what’s going on but don’t do anything about it. It’s like an ongoing unfinished project. ... We are just trying to do our part and along the way we are learning so much about Waianae, the cultural history, and the impact we can have on our future; not just in the community but the whole world if we do something.”

For more information, email the program’s coordinator Kyle Kajihiro at [email protected].