VIBRANT HAWAIʻI
ʻŌpio Alliance for Kuleana Advancement ʻOaka means to open, to sprout, and to flash and signifies new beginnings or an energetic motion like that of lightning. ʻOAKA: ʻŌpio Alliance for Kuleana Advancement — is a youth designed and led coalition that advances equitable opportunities for youth and young adults on Hawaiʻi Island to build capacity and activate their agency as change makers. ʻOAKA aims to address is the opportunity gap that exists, especially for those who reside in rural areas with a high percentage of households living in ALICE and poverty. If overlooked, these gaps hinder employment mobility, reduce civic engagement, and deepen inequity. ʻOAKA invites youth to participate, invests in youth’s ability to contribute, and increases youth’s opportunity to lead.
NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP ʻOAKA’s Core Team truly represents the best and brightest of Hawaiʻi Island. Actively investing in their personal and professional development, leadership growth, and kuleana advancement, their actions align to the guiding principles of Vibrant Hawaiʻi: equity and belonging, aloha, ʻauamo kuleana, and flexibility and learning that leads to transformation. ʻOAKA’s unique contribution to the landscape of youth development opportunities on Hawaiʻi Island is simply this: there is no other islandwide network led by youth - for youth. ʻOAKA's Core Team includes Amylia-Rae Gandolf (North Hawaiʻi), Benjamin Rudo (Puna Makai), Cole Fuertes (North Kohala), David Freund (Puna Mauka), Kuʻuhiapo Jeong (Puna Makai), Makamae Manious (Kaʻū), and Makanaohaililani Ripley (Hilo). ʻOAKA’s initial engagement strategy included collaboration with Resilience Hubs, high schools, UH Hilo/HAWCC, and youth-serving organizations to host regional Youth Summits. Summit activities centered around identification of youth’s strengths and interests to provide youth with mentoring opportunities with seasoned, strategic leaders, through service learning opportunities. Throughout, ʻOAKA's Core Team conducts After Action Reviews and self-reflection surveys which develop their skill in facilitating learning-focused discussions, establishing a culture of continuous learning, and gaining experience with tools and processes to produce consistent and high quality work so that youth have both ownership and accountability of their experience, contribution, and impact. "It was a privilege to help cultivate powerful connections between people and place. I am in awe of the willingness of our youth to be a part of something much greater than themselves and I am hopeful and optimistic for the future of our Hawaiʻi Island community." Amylia-Rae Gandolf, Vibrant Hawaiʻi Community Resilience Fellow “We have seen a number of very intuitive individuals share their experience about what it means to be youth in this day and age in their own communities. “What they [youth] shared, I am hoping, could be the foundation of change set forth for generations to come.” Cole Fuertes, Vibrant Hawaiʻi Community Engagement Ambassador