Hoʻoulu Heluhelu: A Summer of Reading

Hoʻoulu Heluhelu: A Summer of Reading is a three-hour public summer literacy gathering for K–3 haumāna and their ʻohana from the Nānākuli–Waiʻanae complex area. Hosted at the Nānākuli Public Library, this interactive event will center on moʻolelo and culturally grounded children’s literature rooted in local ʻāina, Hawaiian history, and significant leaders of Hawaiʻi.

Teach For America - Hawaiʻi corps members, alumni, students, and community contributors will facilitate dynamic read-aloud sessions that begin with cultural and historical context and invite keiki into reflection and talk story. While haumāna engage in guided reading circles, caregivers will participate in a rotation of hands-on workshops focused on building literacy habits at home through culturally relevant storytelling practices and intentional questioning.

Families will gather as one kaiāulu to strengthen pilina, deepen knowledge of place, and commit to a summer of joyful, culturally rich reading. Each keiki will leave with books and literacy tools to continue learning rooted in ʻike Hawaiʻi throughout the summer months. Light refreshments will be offered to close the event.

Alongside the primary group of student attendees, other attendees from our network will have a direct relationship with education through their work or relationship with Teach For America Hawaiʻi. By extending the invitation to our extended ʻohana of alumni, family members, and Board, we hope to stimulate synergies, strengthen connections, and uplift possibilities for how rooting in Hawaiʻi can impact communities via education and everyday practices. While we will need to have people RSVP, we will share it broadly via our education partners to ensure it is open to the local community, inclusive of those who work and live in the area.