Youth Action Alliance Hawai'i is a 7-month, cohort-based, virtual program for Hawai'i high school students seeking to be civically engaged, take action to address issues in their community, and possess a global understanding of how those issues connect Hawai'i with the rest of the world.
The program represents a collaboration between three like-minded non-profit organizations - Ceeds of Peace, HawaiiKidsCAN, and the Pacific & Asian Affairs Council - that believe young people are vital to tackling the challenges we face as a society. Each organization will draw on their strengths to oversee a different aspect of the program:
* Global Awareness
Pacific & Asian Affairs Council (PAAC) will contextualize local issues by providing global perspectives on topics ranging from climate change to social justice movements to ecosystem health.
* Civic Engagement
HawaiiKidsCAN will empower participants with the knowledge and tools to advocate for systems change through public policy.
* Community Action
Ceeds of Peace will support students over the duration of the program as they create, develop, and implement a Sustainability Action Plan to address an issue in their community. See examples of past student projects here.
Students for the 2020-2021 cohort have been selected. We are no longer accepting applications for YAAH.
Program Goals
Students will:
* Identify the local connections and relevancies of complex transnational issues
* Learn the ins-and-outs of civic participation, including the fundamentals of advocacy and policy
* Collaborate with peers to develop, plan, and implement an action project that
1) addresses an important issue in the community,
2) incorporates legislative advocacy, and
3) is informed by a global perspective of the problem
* Develop leadership skills relating to communication, teamwork, relationship-building, critical thinking, civic participation, public speaking, and project management
* Cultivate a greater capacity for empathy, deeper appreciation for diversity, and strengthened commitment to community
Hui
Successful applicants will be grouped based on their interests into one of five hui, each based on a different theme. Students in the same hui will work together to develop and carry out their community action plan.
The five hui are:
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* Health and Well-being
Includes food security, student mental health, bullying
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* Climate Change & Sustainable Ecosystems
Includes climate actions related to renewable energy, fossil fuel reductions, and energy efficiency; plastics reduction; native ecosystem restoration; pollution
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* Social Justice & Culture
Includes equity for race, indigenous people, gender equality, LGBTQ+
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* Quality Education
Includes issues related to equity, school to prison pipeline
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* Building a Resilient Hawai'i
Includes COVID response; disaster preparedness; decent work and economic growth; peace, justice, and strong institutions
Program Schedule
Dates and times for program meetings are set in advance. All meetings are from 9:00am - 11:00am, unless otherwise noted. View YAAH Calendar.
Sponsors
Atherton Family Foundation
City & County of Honolulu
Rotary Club of Honolulu
Stevens World Peace Foundation
Contact Information
Jason Shon
High School Program Director
Pacific & Asian Affairs Council
808-944-7759
hs@paachawaii.org
www.paachawaii.org
Scott Nishimoto
Executive Director
Ceeds of Peace
808-783-6641
scott.nishimoto@ceedsofpeace.org
Aisha Heredia
Community Outreach & Organizing Manager
HawaiiKidsCAN
808 866 7568