At the Kamehameha Hawai‘i campus high school Career Fair in 2004, keynote speaker Donna Kahiwaokawailani Kahakui excited students with stories of her work as a federal agent with the Environmental Protection Agency. She also related her experiences as an athlete and a world-class paddler. Kahi talked about her love for the ocean and for protecting the environment and about starting a non-profit mentorship program for high school students. Kai Makana is the name of the organization which seeks to take an active role in educating and mobilizing the public to better understand and preserve marine life and the ocean environment.  Through its educational youth mentorship and community-based programs, Kai Makana motivates students and their families to protect, preserve, and respect the ocean.

Kai Makana was initiated as a Science and Natural Resources Academy activity after Kahi’s visit in 2004.  She was impressed by the student body and decided that the year-long mentorship program should focus on Hawai‘i island.  Student participants were chosen from all of the islands, but a specific focus was given to our own Kamehameha Hawai‘i campus because of the connection that was established.  During last school year, Career Academy Coordinator Kahealani Nae‘ole-Wong saw that the Kai Makana organization would fit well into the mentorship component of Senior Legacy and into our career academy curriculum.  In order to fundraise for the culminating trip to Rapa Nui, Kai Makana was turned into a school club which promotes ocean and environmental education and awareness.

Many students were interested in participating and submitted their applications. This initial process required ten-pages of writing, including an essay and responses to challenging cultural questions. Ten students from Kamehameha were accepted and required to participate in three weekend retreats throughout the school year. Six students fulfilled all of the requirements and were eligible to participate in the culminating trip. The first retreat was held at Ke Kula ‘o Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u on June 3-5, 2005. This retreat included canoe paddling, beach clean up, lua protocol and implement making, and Rapa Nui cultural and language lessons. 

The second retreat was held at Kamehameha Hawai‘i campus on October 14-16, 2005. This retreat included native forest trail clearing and building at "Kīpuka 21" off of Saddle Road, hula and oli protocol, and leadership mentoring. Students were responsible for cooking and cleaning at each of their retreats. This resulted in students being taught important life skills and servant leadership. A third retreat will be held in December in preparation for a culminating trip to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in January.

The Rapa Nui trip is scheduled for January 14-25, 2006, with a stop over in Tahiti. Each student must raise the $2,500 cost of the trip, so each has been working extremely hard for their travel expenses (air, transportation, food, etc.) through community projects. Fundraising activities have included trail clearing, ocean awareness t-shirt sales, palm plant sales, athletic-event concessions, donation letters, and pie sales for Thanksgiving. Future fundraisers include a garage sale and an ATP funding request.

‘Alohi Gronquist, an original applicant, withdrew because of family responsibilities but has charged on with the ocean awareness cause. She is planning a beach clean up for the Ka‘ū community on behalf of Kai Makana. She was inspired to give back to the Ka‘ū community after the Kamehameha junior class field trip to Punalu‘u last year.  ‘Alohi applied for a "Do Something" grant. The grant award supports students doing something to bring positive change to their communities.  Private donors contributed to a $500 award towards ‘Alohi’s Ka‘ū clean up effort planned for December 2005. She has, in turn, donated the award back to the Kai Makana club. ‘Alohi has had articles written about her work in the Hawai‘i Tribune Herald and West Hawai‘i newspapers and broadcast in an on-air interview with Radio Australia in Sydney.

Kai Makana members are currently preparing for the trip by obtaining their passports and honing their Spanish and Hawaiian language skills.  Kahi Kahakui plans to do a paddle around the island of Rapa Nui with the students.  The mission of sharing their environmental learning with their Polynesian cousins will be a sincere message expressed by our Hawaiian haumāna.  Water quality testing, cultural tours, and ocean awareness activities are also planned.  We are all looking forward to this memorable and inspiring experience.  I mua Kamehameha!