In this video, Hawaiian education Dr Ku Kahakalau and Nalei Kahakalau share their personal journey of preserving native Hawaiian culture. They start by sharing the beautiful history of Hawaii and it’s past and present challenges. These challenges inspired them to start ‘Hawaiian Academy – a community learning school’. With the motto ‘When native thrives, everyone benefits’, they explored value based education. They share their magic formula of Three R – Relationships, Relevance, Responsibility. When we care and foster deep relationships, we start to relate with who we are and with that further develop a responsibility towards our land, oceans, people and spiritual world.
More : https://www.kuakanaka.com
Kū Kahakalau Dr. Kū Kahakalau is a native Hawaiian educator, researcher, cultural practitioner, grassroots activist, and expert in Hawaiian language, history and culture. Kū promotes the revitalisation of Hawaiian language and culture, hands-on learning in the environment, community sustainability and Hawaiian self-determination in education and beyond through a Pedagogy of Aloha. Over the past 25 years, Kū founded and administered multiple innovate Hawaiian-focused programs including Hawaiʻiʻs first culturally-driven charter school and teacher licensing program. Her latest efforts center around developing EA Ecoversity, a Hawaiian-focused post-secondary program that transitions Hawaiian youth to culturally-grounded, happy, successful, thriving adults and responsible global citizens.
Nalei Kahakalau Nālei Kahakalau is a Native Hawaiian educator, grassroots practitioner and expert in Hawaiian history, culture and traditional agricultural and spiritual practices. He has a degree in Political Science, focusing on social and political philosophical movements and critical theory, and a passion for growing taro. Over the past 30 years, Uncle Nālei, as he is called by his students, has been intricately involved in the development of Education with Aloha (EA), an innovative pedagogy that is grounded in Native Hawaiian values and traditions. Uncle Nālei and his wife Kū started this movement in 1991 via a series of summer immersion camps in a remote Hawaiian Valley, with the intention of articulating a Hawaiian way of education that is at once ancient and modern and tailored to meet the wants and needs of native students. These camps resulted in the creation of Kanu o ka ‘Āina New Century Public Charter School, Hawai’i’s first fully accredited K-12 Hawaiian- focused school, in 2000. In addition to being the co-founder and senior staff member, Uncle Nālei is also the school’s primary cultural expert, avidly performing the duties of kahu (spiritual leader). Nālei and his wife Kū are currently developing EA University as a preferred way of Hawaiian education.