Page 8 - MidWeek Honolulu - July 20, 2022

8 JULY 20, 2022
Funding Fuels Kupu’s Mission Of Creating Sustainable Future
BY MARIA KANAI
to ‘āina. A major lesson I learned was perseverance ... this job has helped me estab- lish different levels of stead- fastness.”
nomic benefit for Hawaiʻi — more than twice the estimat- ed cost of the program.
next generation, growing our green workforce can in- spire our community to cre- ate a more resilient future in which we can all thrive.”
When Mariah Liʻawahine Haʻo, previously a food and beverage services super- visor at a hotel, found her- self unemployed during the pandemic, she joined Kupu ‘Āina Corps and began work- ing with Pohaha I Ka Lani, a Native Hawaiian nonprofit in Waipiʻo Valley. There, she re- moved invasive plants, plant- ed native trees and cleared overgrown loʻi kalo.
Established in 2007 as a Honolulu-based nonprof- it, Kupu empowers future generations to create a more sustainable Hawai‘i through hands-on training and na- tional service programs.
“Kupu is honored to sup- port DLNR in administer- ing this program, which is based off of the success of two years of the Kupu ‘Āina Corps,” says Kupu CEO John Leong. “Youth pro- grams build healthy charac- ter and capacity where young people learn the value of hard work, push their limits, and create an inclusive fam- ily that unifies beyond race, socio-economic background and beliefs.
For every dollar invested in youth corps, there is close to a $4 community return on investment nationally, ac- cording to Leong.
“Spiritually, I connected myself to the wahi pana of Waipiʻo and feel extremely blessed as a kanaka to have that opportunity,” Haʻo says. “The experience affirmed my change in career. I’d worked in tourism for most of my adult life but this has made me rededicate myself
Kupu helped develop the Kupu ‘Āina Corps workforce program in 2020, partnering with the state and using fed- eral CARES Act funding.
Kupu strives to preserve the land while empowering youth. Kupu participants on Hawai‘i Island work with native plants. PHOTO COURTESY KUPU
He states, “Prioritizing sustainable land-based eco- nomic revenue streams, in- vesting in conservation of natural and sustainable in- frastructures, species pres- ervation and evolving from mono-crop ag to food sover- eignty are all areas in which the green workforce can sup- port and position Hawaiʻi to have greater economic diver- sity and resilience.”
More than 350 participants selected from over 1,000 ap- plicants logged more than 89,000 hours at 150 host sites across the islands.
state Department of Land and Natural Resources for the Green Job Youth Corps, which provides temporary work and training for young adults.
Using an economic impact assessment developed by Columbia University, Kupu estimates the work done by its participants produced over $6.5 million in eco-
“Many of Hawaiʻi’s lead- ing conservation profession- als have participated in youth corps or partnered with one, moving from corps to ca- reers,” he continues. “If we start building now with the
Earlier this year, the Kupu ‘Āina Corps received federal funding to partner with the
For more information, vis- it kupuhawaii.org.
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