Kaiāulu Community Workdays on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island

In 2026, our region marks 20 years since launching here in Hawaiʻi. This milestone is a call to action rather than a celebration alone. These two workdays are central to how we activate our network. We honor partners, strengthen pilina, and help educators and ʻohana learn with and from ʻāina.

Teach For America Hawaiʻi will host two public community workdays:

• Oʻahu: Proposed at Hoʻopulapula Academy at Nānākuli Intermediate and High School or another Leeward Oʻahu ʻāina partner. Final site confirmed with the host.
• Hawaiʻi Island: Proposed in Hilo or Kona with a local ʻāina partner. Final site confirmed with the host.

Each gathering weaves protocol and place-based story with guidance from site leaders, meaningful stewardship work that meets the needs of the location, and reflection that helps participants (educators, students, and community members) carry lessons into daily life. Typical activities include:

• Clearing invasive species
• Preparing and planting māla spaces
• Caring for restoration areas
• Learning the place names, history, and contemporary role of the site

Mahalo for supporting our 2024 Kaiāulu workdays, which showed strong interest from teachers, alumni, ʻohana, and neighbors and led to lasting educator relationships with ʻāina partners. Several teachers made plans to bring students back for field learning after meeting site leaders. In 2026, our 20th milestone year, we are choosing action. These events help us activate our network toward our 2030 Vision by rooting learning in ʻāina, uplifting cultural knowledge, and strengthening pilina across islands.