PAAC has teamed up with the College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and the ʻImiloa Center to offer an exciting new global studies program.
Starting in the 2021 spring semester, 26 Hawaiʻi public high school students from across the state will form the inaugural cohort for a new Early College course, Hawaii Sustainable Development Goals I, offered entirely online. The course is also free to students thanks to the generous support of the Mamoru & Aiko Takitani Foundation.
Paired with a summer 2021 session, the two courses will cover the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework to introduce the challenges to sustainability in our world and how they relate to Hawaiʻi.
Topics in the spring will include: what sustainable tourism might look like in a post-pandemic economy, using the fashion industry as a lens to consider consumption and production patterns; and an introduction to urban planning innovations across the world that promote wellness.
Students in the course will get a taste for college in this intensive class, with opportunities to collaborate with peers from across the islands and learn from experts from all over the world, bringing their subject matter to life.
“Students are more aware than ever of how important it is to live sustainably,” said PAAC’s course instructor, Erica Nakanishi-Stanis. “PAAC offers a suite of programs that put these global challenges in context, and we are thrilled to be able to offer a high-quality, timely curriculum to support students learning in this difficult year. This course will help students contextualize the world they will inherit while also contributing to both their high school and higher education goals.”
This course offering is the first time UH-Hilo and the College of Hawaiian Language have offered an Early College opportunity open to all public high school students across Hawai’i.
“It is a privilege for UH-Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language and ‘Imiloa to provide content for what promises to be a groundbreaking educational opportunity for local secondary school students,” reflected Ka’iu Kimura, Ka Haka ‘Ula leadership and Executive Director of ‘Imiloa, UH-Hilo. “The COVID-19 pandemic is a daily reminder of the challenges and opportunities we share in common with people all across the globe, so this is an exciting juncture at which to think about the fate of our planet and create solutions here in Hawai‘i that we can share with the rest of the world.”
To learn more about the course, visit paachawaii.org/SDGC