TL;DR
Get decor and gifts delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Nalukai Academy, a Hawaii nonprofit, is teaching high school students to develop community-focused business and technology ideas. Its programs aim to show young people they can create meaningful work in Hawaii, though the source does not measure whether participation changes graduates’ decisions to stay.
Nalukai Academy brought 20 high school students to the University of Hawaii at Hilo for a fall program in which they developed prototypes for local challenges, part of the nonprofit’s effort to show young people they can build careers and businesses in Hawaii. The program comes amid concern about the state’s youth outmigration, which can leave communities with fewer skilled workers and a smaller, older population.
Students from public and private schools across East Hawaii spent several days researching problems including housing insecurity and invasive species, then worked on early versions of websites and apps to test their ideas. More than half of the participants were Native Hawaiian, and 70% attended low-income schools, according to the report.
Projects included a proposed platform for local residents to buy and sell property, with the aim of keeping housing affordable and in local hands; a website to help students open savings accounts at local banks; and a plan to turn invasive limu into fertilizer for native plants. Community members reviewed the prototypes and gave students feedback on usability and business questions, including supply and how much fertilizer farmers might need.
Nalukai provides programs during school breaks and gives each student who completes a spring, summer or fall program a laptop, the report said. The nonprofit relies mainly on grants and donations, according to board member Nick Wong, a former participant.
Building Career Paths at Home
Nalukai’s approach links career preparation with problems students recognize in their own communities. Rather than focusing only on starting companies for profit, the program emphasizes building services and ventures that respond to local needs and draw on Native Hawaiian values, personal responsibility and community relationships.
The stakes extend beyond individual career choices. The report describes Hawaii’s outmigration of young professionals as a concern because it can reduce the supply of skilled workers, weaken the tax base and contribute to an aging population. Communities may also lose young adults who carry strong ties to local culture. Nalukai’s work offers one response: giving students practical experience and examples of possible local opportunity. The report does not establish that the program changes whether participants stay in the state.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Local Response to Outmigration
The report frames the program against a common perception that young people must leave Hawaii to find more career options or higher-paying work. Nalukai facilitator Auston Stewart said the organization wants students to see that they can pursue meaningful work without moving away. He argued that young people need earlier exposure to creating and operating businesses and social ventures.
During the Hilo program, students moved from identifying problems to building prototypes and presenting their ideas for community review. They also discussed aloha and responsibility to their communities while learning about making paʻi ʻai, or pounded kalo. That combination distinguishes the program’s stated focus from entrepreneurship training centered chiefly on maximizing profit or attracting investors.
““There are plentiful opportunities here. As a person who lives in Hawaii, I can also do something to get change here.””
— Kayley Shimazu, Waiākea High School student
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Long-Term Results Remain Unknown
The report describes the program’s activities and goals, but does not provide data on how many participants later start businesses, find work in Hawaii or decide to remain in the state. It also does not quantify the scale of youth outmigration or compare Nalukai participants with other students.
The student proposals were prototypes, not reported operating services or established businesses. Their costs, feasibility and likely effects on housing, financial literacy or invasive species are not yet clear. The source also does not specify the nonprofit’s annual budget or how many students it serves across all programs.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Prototypes to Local Use
In the program described, students were preparing pitches for community members after testing their prototypes and incorporating feedback. The next practical test for any idea would be whether its team can answer questions about resources, operations and demand, then develop it beyond a classroom demonstration.
Nalukai’s broader work will depend on continuing its break-period programs and securing grants and donations, the report said. The source does not identify a schedule for future sessions or announce a formal evaluation of graduate outcomes. Tracking participants’ education, employment and location over time would help establish whether the program affects the talent drain it aims to address.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What is Nalukai Academy?
Nalukai Academy is a Hawaii nonprofit that runs programs for high school students, teaching problem-solving and entrepreneurship through projects addressing local challenges.
What did students make during the Hilo program?
Students developed early website and app prototypes, including ideas related to local property sales, student savings accounts and using invasive limu as fertilizer for native plants.
Who took part in the fall program?
The program enrolled 20 students from public and private schools across East Hawaii. More than half were Native Hawaiian, and 70% attended low-income schools, according to the report.
Has Nalukai shown that it keeps young people in Hawaii?
The report describes Nalukai’s goal of helping students see local career opportunities, but it gives no long-term data showing whether participants are more likely to stay in Hawaii.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
