The Need for Culturally Relevant, Family-based Substance Use Prevention Interventions for Rural Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Youth

Flier for Substance Use Prevention in NHPI Youth

This workshop is presented in partnership with Papa Ola Lōkahi and the AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence. Substance use initiation often occurs during adolescence, and early initiation is commonly associated with problematic substance use, such as substance use disorders. National and local public health data consistently demonstrate that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) youth have disproportionately high rates of substance use and substance use disorder. NHPI rural youth, with their unique cultural and social context, face specific challenges in substance use prevention, particularly related to familial relationships. There is a critical need for research that can inform culturally relevant, family-based substance use prevention interventions for these youth. This presentation will: highlight youth substance use trends in Hawai‘i, discuss risk and protective factors for youth substance use in Hawai‘i, and explore familial influences on youth substance use in rural Hawai‘i, including the impact of cultural and social determinants of health.

What will you learn?

  • Trends in youth substance use in Hawai‘i
  • Risk and protective factors for youth substance use in Hawai‘i
  • Familial influences on youth substance use in rural Hawai‘i

Who is this workshop for?
Community and state-level substance use prevention practitioners, researchers, and allied health partners, especially those engaged in substance use prevention efforts with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth and families.

Looking to receive continuing education contact hours?
Papa Ola Lōkahi (NASWHI-CEP-13) has been designated an approved provider of social work continuing education contact hours by the National Association of Social Workers Hawai’i Chapter. The Papa Ola Lokahi maintains responsibility for the program. This program is approved by the State of Hawaii Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (Approval# ADAD-24-086) for up to 1.5 contact hour(s). NOTE: Participants are responsible for submitting proof of attendance to their respective certification or licensing board. ʻOhana CoE & Papa Ola Lōkahi do not submit this information on behalf of training participants.

Participants will receive a link to verify attendance at the end of the workshop.

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Workshop Presenters

Sarah Momilani Marshall is an Assistant Professor in the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She received her PhD in social welfare from UH Mānoa’s Thompson School and her MSW from San Josè State University. Her program of research concentrates on understanding social, behavioral, and cultural determinants of health within rural Hawaiian communities, especially those that impact substance use resistance among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) youth. As a Native Hawaiian researcher, she is passionate about addressing health disparities and pursuing health equity for indigenous populations and elevating the voice of Indigenous perspectives. In addition to substance use prevention, she is also currently involved in community-engaged, culturally-based research that seeks to magnify the dissemination of an innovative Native Hawaiian Health Survey and to integrate Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) into the data collection efforts of Community Health Workers in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.

An Introduction to E Hui Ana Nā Moku: Harm Reduction Community Resource Guide

E Hui Ana Na Moku Featured Image

In recognition of self harm awareness month in May, we are sharing a resource developed by our friends at Papa Ola Lōkahi and Hawaiʻi Health and Harm Reduction Center called “E Hui Ana Nā Moku: The Islands Shall Unite”. This is a harm reduction community resource guide, which focuses on developing a community understanding of harm reduction, reducing the harms caused by colonization in Hawaiʻi, and introducing a cultural approach to reducing harm and promoting healing.

Who is this resource for?
Anyone who is interested in accessing Native Hawaiian resources for themselves, cultural practitioners, or behavioral health professionals who are looking for education about culturally responsive care for harm reduction.

How can I get this resource?
You can download the resource guide for free on Papa Ola Lōkahi’s website.

Download the guide here

What will I find in this resource?
In the video below, Lilinoe Kauahikaua, Project Manager at the AANHPI ʻOhana Center of Excellence and Program Coordinator at Papa Ola Lōkahi introduces E Hui Ana Nā Moku with a tour of what you will find in this resource.

Kealaokekoa, A Cultural Journey of Rediscovery and Self-Reliance for SUD Treatment

Event flier for Kealaokekoa

The ongoing project of colonial imperialism is dependent upon renouncing individual cultural and ethnic identity in favor of a monolithic belief in the US republic. As a nation with a history of violence and oppression against people of color, and the displacement and removal of Native peoples, it remains imperative for the US to retain control through forced assimilation to American cultural beliefs and norms of behavior. From laws banning Native languages in the 19th and 20th centuries, to race-based policies of citizenship exclusion, to forced medical sterilization of incarcerated populations, America continues to demonstrate its attitude towards these marginalized groups. This attitude permeates much of the US social welfare programming, including substance abuse treatment options. In this model of recovery, the only cultures that matter are the prevailing practices of American and Christian culture.

In this Presentation, you will be introduced to a Native Hawaiian approach to SUD treatment and recovery. Through this presentation you will learn the concepts, practices, and methods used in treating and possibly preventing SUD and addiction. You will learn the importance of utilizing a patient’s native culture and ethnicity along with utilizing certain western methods and concepts in addiction therapy. You will also learn how the Ke Ala O Kekoa curriculum can also be used in cross-cultural approaches.

What will you learn?

  • Understand the Native Hawaiian view on substance use and misuse.
  • Identify Hawaiian Healing practices utilized in substance abuse therapy.
  • Recognize when Traditional Healing practices are indicated and contraindicated.
  • Be able to implement simple Native Hawaiian practices into their own personal lives, no matter their culture or
    ethnicity.

Who should attend?

  • Addiction therapy professionals
  • Counselors
  • Medical providers
  • Cultural practitioners in healing

This event is brought to you in partnership with AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence and Papa Ola Lōkahi.

Completing this workshop LIVE offers social worker continuing education credits. Papa Ola Lokahi (NASWHI-CEP-13) has been designated an approved provider of social work continuing education contact hours by the National Association of Social Workers Hawai’i Chapter. The Papa Ola Lokahi maintains responsibility for the program.This program is also approved by the State of Hawaii Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (Approval# ADAD-24-060) for up to 1 contact hour(s). NOTE: Participants are responsible for submitting proof of attendance to their respective certification or licensing board. ʻOhana CoE & Papa Ola Lōkahi do not submit this information on behalf of training participants.

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Workshop Presenters

Makani Tabura was raised with three brothers by his mother and grandparents on their tiny family farm on the island of Lana‘i. From a young age, he was instilled with a deep understanding of the importance of culture, connection to higher power (Akua), the land (‘aina), and the people (Na Po‘e Kanaka).

During high school and college, Makani mentored and worked with at-risk youth at his mother’s youth center on Lana‘i, as well as with local and national organizations such as Na Pua No‘eau, Pacific American Foundation, and the Native Hawaiian Education Association. He shared his cultural knowledge and taught concepts of traditional cultural beliefs of health, wellness, and fitness.

Combining his grandmother’s teachings as a nurse and cultural practitioner, Makani’s studies in exercise science, hula, and health and wellness from Hawai‘i College of Health Sciences, Makani created cultural activities, programs, and curriculum for various hotels and resorts throughout Hawai‘i. He developed the first Hawaiian-based health and fitness programs for the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hale Koa Hotel, and Sheraton Resorts.

Currently, Makani is the Director of Cultural Education and Activities and cultural practitioner at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, specifically within Ho‘okūola Hale and Mālama Recovery Services. He is also the Po‘o (director) of the Kako‘o Council at the Kalaniho‘okaha Traditional Hawaiian Healing Center. Makani has developed a successful, culturally-based addiction recovery curriculum, and he prides himself on ensuring that everything he does personally and professionally is culturally-based and balanced with traditional knowledge and Western practices.

Makani’s primary responsibility, gifted to him by his Kupuna (ancestors), is to preserve, perpetuate, and practice traditional Native health, wellness, and healing to improve the lives of his family and community.

Niki Wright, PsyD, CSAC, ICADC, CCS, CPS, CSOTP is a Director at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, overseeing both the Mālama Recovery Services’ intensive outpatient substance use disorder treatment program and the Ho ̔okūola Hale’s integrated chronic pain management department. She is licensed as a clinical psychologist and certified as a substance abuse counselor in the State of Hawai ̔i and has made it her mission to reduce the negative social stigma surrounding mental illness, particularly SUD, and to break down the barriers that prevent individuals from accessing the care they need, particularly in medically underserved communities.

Dr. Wright’s professional interests are focused on health psychology and working with diverse and marginalized populations, including chronic pain management, trauma, systems, and women’s health. She is also the Chief Behavioral Health O cer at the Wahiawā Center for Community Health, co-founder of IMUA Health Group, and clinical psychologist for the State of Hawai‘i’s Department of Education. Dr. Wright has previously taught in the Rehabilitation Counseling Master’s degree program at the University of Hawai ̔i at Mānoa under the Department of Kinesiology.

In her personal life, Dr. Wright is a National Health Service Corps Ambassador, committed to improving access to primary care in under-served areas of the United States. Through her impressive work andvunwavering commitment to improving mental health and well-being, Dr. Wright has made a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of her patients and communities, and continues to be a leading voice in her field.

SAMHSA’s 20th Prevention Day!

SAMHSA’s 20th Prevention Day (SPD) takes place on Monday, January 29, 2024, in conjunction with CADCA National Leadership Forum at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

Join us for the largest annual national gathering dedicated to advancing the prevention of substance use and misuse. We’ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of SPD, explore current innovations, reflect on past accomplishments, and chart a course for the future of prevention.

Get ready for an engaging and inspiring day packed with presentations, activities, networking, and more.

This day-long event is free ― but registration is required.

Hānai Ahu: Anchoring Culture in Substance Use Treatment & Prevention Models – Trauma Tips and Tools

Hawaiʻi Opioid Initiative (HOI) Workgroup members, social workers, health care providers, and community members will learn about the importance of a cultural foundation when applying trauma tools and tips to self care, community care and professional care in response to collective trauma and grief. The connection between trauma informed care and to substance use and recovery will be discussed in its applications to The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0. This is the 12th session of the Māpuna Lab’s virtual summer training series Hānai Ahu which focuses on adopting cultural anchors for substance use treatment and prevention strategies. This series provides a tri-lens cultural view of substance use emphasizing “The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0” framework that recently launched with the Hawaiʻi State Plan for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health.

What will attendees learn?

  • Participants will learn how to utilize The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0 to understand the historical importance of the impacts of colonization on the indigenous connection to ʻāina and the disconnection to ʻāina, as it relates to substance use and recovery.
  • Participants will identify strategies related to culturally anchored trauma-informed care in response to acute, collective trauma and grief as primary prevention for substance use and mental health disparities.
  • Participants will apply trauma tips and tools to self care, community care and professional care in response to collective trauma and grief guided by the clinical expertise of a licensed clinical social worker.

Who should attend?

  • Hawaiʻi Opioid Initiative (HOI) Workgroup members
  • Social workers
  • Health care providers
  • Community members

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Workshop Presenters

Christy Werner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who was born and raised on Maui, and has been living on Oʻahu for the past 20 years. She is a mother of two wild boys, a wife to a hard working sawyer, the daughter of a retired ER nurse mom, and construction worker dad. She has 3 siblings. Her life’s work has thus far been dedicated to helping others heal from trauma. She is a feeler of feels and a lover of humanity, despite how complicated humans can be. Her invitation to joining you all at this event is not taken lightly and she hopes her offerings are helpful.

Ola ka Huakaʻihele o Hiʻiaka: Becoming Hiʻiaka PT 2

Hānai Ahu: Anchoring Culture in Substance Use Treatment & Prevention Models

Ola ka Huakaʻihele o Hiʻiaka: Becoming Hiʻiaka Part 2

Join us again as we continue our virtual summer training series on adopting cultural anchors for substance use treatment and prevention strategies. Hānai Ahu provides a tri-lens cultural view of substance use emphasizing “The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0” framework that recently launched with the Hawaiʻi State Plan for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health.

This series is a partnership between the Māpuna Lab and the AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence. AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence is your source for empowerment, education, and support for individuals seeking behavioral healthcare, including mental health and substance use resources. We center (w)holistic and cultural approaches to serving the needs of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

What is your ahu? What is your pua‘a?

Ola ka Huakaʻihele o Hiʻiaka: Becoming Hiʻiaka Part 2 with guest speaker Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani

Hawaii Opioid Initiative (HOI) Workgroup members, social workers, health care providers, and community members will come together to learn the Ahupua’a Framework and its applications. Understanding the Upstream: How does the Compact of Free Association (COFA) affect Social Determinants of Health and Policy for Federated States of Micronesia migrants in Hawaii will follow the myth of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele on a journey of transformation, so that we ourselves may be transformed in the process. Through the Kaʻao Framework, implemented by the Hawaiʻi Papa O Ke ʻAo Initiative within the University of Hawaiʻi system, we seek to identify the best pathway forward to heal and prevent substance misuse and overdose, and promote mental health and wellbeing among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Learning Objective 1
Participants will engage in the Ahupuaʻa Model for the ʻOhana Center of Excellence, introduced by Lilinoe Kauahikaua of Papa Ola Lōkahi looking at the impacts of colonization, and implementing cultural intervention at various places effectively providing healing and wellbeing of self and community.

Learning Objective 2
Participants will engage in the Kaʻao Framework (Hua, Haʻalele, Huakaʻi, Hoʻina, Hāʻina – implemented by the University of Hawaiʻi through the Hawaiʻi Papa o Keao Initiative) – utilizing Hawaiʻi traditional myth culture as a framework to transform the experiences and the culture of healthcare professionals
and providers.

Learning Objective 3
Participants will see by implementing a high quality program such as the Huakaʻihele, that is directly recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and equity-based as a means of improving behavioral health and overall well-being guided by the clinical expertise of R. Lahela Kruse, a Native Hawaiian Social Worker.

Learning Objective 4
Finally participants will be invited to experience and engage in multidisciplinary and multidimensional processes for sequencing HUAKAʻI.

DOWNLOADS & REPLAY

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Workshop Presenters

Rachel “Lahela” Kruse, Native Hawaiian Social Worker, CSAC at Big Island Substance Abuse Council (BISAC) on Hawaiʻi island. She works with the mental health population with close attention to substance abuse using traditional healing methods Hoʻokuʻu ka hewa for the individual, also a Haku Hoʻoponopono.

Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani is a cherished member of the Hawaiʻi Island community. People recognize her contributions to the hula community, both in Hawaiʻi and beyond our shores, her training for decades in the tradition of ʻaihaʻa, her vital role in Hālau o Kekuhi. Below are just a few of Kekuhi’s professional accomplishments:

  • Trained in the tradition of Hula ʻAihaʻa & Hula Pele, chant & ritual for 35 years under Hālau O Kekuhi and graduated as Kumu Hula (hula master) of Hālau o Kekuhi by her mother, Kumu Hula Pualani Kanahele and her Aunt Kumu Hula Nalani Kanakaole; ʻUniki date – 2008
  • 1991 and 2014, co-producer of some of Hālau O Kekuhi’s most significant contributions to oral and ritual arts stage performances, namely, Holo Mai Pele, Kamehameha Paiʻea, Kilohi Nā Akua Wahine, Hānau Ka Moku, Wahinepōʻaimoku, Ka Hana Kapa, and CD resources Uwolani, Puka Kamaʻehu and Hiʻiakaikapoliopele.  See these projects at edithkanakaolefoundation.org
  • Bachelorʻs in Hawaiian Studies & Masterʻs degree in Professional Development in Education; currently in a Doctorate of Holistic Health program.
  • Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Hawaiʻi Life Styles program and was a primary force in designing the Hawaiʻi Life Styles degree program and student support center as well as the two-year A.A. degree programs in Hula, Fishing, and Farming at Hawaiʻi Community Colleges, currently A.A. in Hawaiʻi Life Styles with emphasis in these areas.
  • For the 21 years at the University of Hawai’i, Kekuhi has been instrumental in writing for and managing 10 federal grants, resulting in excess of 20 million dollars of Congressional funding, USDOE funding, and others helping fund 8 new positions in Hawaiian studies (HawCC), 4 renovation projects, student support for native Hawaiian students, the UH system’s first degrees in native occupational practices and the very first Hawaiʻi protocols program of any UH system college. She also taught many of the programs courses. 
  • From 2001-2015, Kekuhi served as the Edith Kanakaʻoleʻs Executive Director and continues to volunteer in research, writing, ritual design and facilitation, hula, chant, and other projects of the foundation.
  • A sample of projects for the foundation include: 1) Kanaloa Haunawela – a current ethnographic project for KS, 2) Kiho’iho’i Kanawai – a project for OHA, 3)  Pelehonuamea – a Geothermal project for KS; 4) Honuaiākea Summit for interdisciplinary exploration, 5) ʻĪmakakoloa protocols for public access, 5) ʻAha Pāwalu protocols for 20 year clean up of Kanaloa-Kahoʻolawe
  • Most recent publications include: The Charm of Kiʻi chapter for Moʻolelo, UH Press (publihsed 2023); Embracing the sacred: an indigenous framework for tomorrow’s sustainability science.  Journal for Sustainability Science Special Issue. 2013; Cultivating Sacred Kinship Green readiness, response, and recovery: a collaborative synthesis. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-18x. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2017;  “Increasing Conservation Capacity by Embracing Ritual: Kuahu as a Portal to the Sacred” . Journal of Pacific Conservation Biology Special Issue: Transforming Conservation Biology Through Indigenous Perspectives. 2020.
  • Most recent ritual design & facilitation projects including, 1) ʻAha Mauna, 2) ʻAha Hoʻākua for the Hokuleʻa World Wide Voyage, 3) 2018 Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress -ʻAha ʻAwa, Opening Protocol, Daily Protocol, Closing Protocols
  • 2016 Kekuhi opened Lonoa Honua, a single owner for profit to develop & deliver professional & personal development programs such as: Ulu Ka ʻŌhiʻa-Hula Consciousness Seminar,  Hālau ʻŌhiʻa-Hawaiʻi Stewardship Training, Oli Honua Hawaii Chant training, Kāʻao: Timeless Stories, Kāmoe: Triggering Dream, and ʻIʻiwi Pōlena:  Stewardship Program for Youth. 
  • Lonoa Honua LLC programs has served individuals, institutions, and organizations, including:  OHA, DOFAW, DLNR, KS, USDA-IPIF, NOAA, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, DOE, The Nature Conservancy, UH Manoa Symphony of Hawaiʻiʻs Forests project, US Coral Reef Task Force, USGS-Hawaiʻi Island, PKO, Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference,
  • Lonoa Honua LLC co-creates the ʻIkuwā Fest, a collaboration with Nā ʻOhana Waʻa and ʻImloa Astronomy Center.
  • We are in the 3rd year of the Edith Kanakaʻole World Oli Festival 2023 (formerly known as World Oli Movement) a unique Hybrid multi-day event highlighting the depth and breadth of OLI.
  • One of Kekuhiʻs passionʻs is strengthening the relationship between Hawaiʻi ecological wisdom and scientific wisdom. Kekuhi served as the Senior Scholar at The Kohala Center for 20 years. She has the honor of working with some of Hawaiʻiʻs most passionate committed conservation and restoration organizations, individuals, and initiatives, one of them being the Kā Mauli Hou-the statewide Hawaiʻi Conservation and Restoration Initiative, the USDA Forest Service, Kekuhi continues to facilitate ways of improving how Hawaiʻi consciousness and science & technology consciousness can work in harmony for the wellbeing of Hawaiʻi.
  • In addition to hula, chant, & Hawaiʻi-ecology, Kekuhiʻs love affair with music as a way to heighten and expand vibrations of wellbeing in the world, inspired a singing career. As co-creators, Kekuhi & husband Tangaro gave birth to 3-CDs, “Hahani Mai” (Punahele Productions), and “Kekuhi”, and “Honey Boy” (MountainApple Company). She was honored with a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award as Female Vocalist of the Year in 1999, and has performed on numerous concert stages over the past 20 years. Kekuhi spends part of her music career with her daughter Kaumakaiwa Kealiikanakaole and artist & producer Shawn Kekoa Pimental. We released the single Moloka’i Jam in 2013.  Kekuhi has recently produced and released the 21st Anniversary Edition of Hahani Mai and an all new Hahani Mai: Reimagined on June 21, 2018. The most recent public release of two originals and one remake was in May 2020.

Ola ka Huakaʻihele o Hiʻiaka: Becoming Hiʻiaka PT 1

Hānai Ahu: Anchoring Culture in Substance Use Treatment & Prevention Models

Ola ka Huakaʻihele o Hiʻiaka: Becoming Hiʻiaka

Join us again as we continue our virtual summer training series on adopting cultural anchors for substance use treatment and prevention strategies. Hānai Ahu provides a tri-lens cultural view of substance use emphasizing “The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0” framework that recently launched with the Hawaiʻi State Plan for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health.

This series is a partnership between the Māpuna Lab and the AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence. AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence is your source for empowerment, education, and support for individuals seeking behavioral healthcare, including mental health and substance use resources. We center (w)holistic and cultural approaches to serving the needs of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

What is your ahu? What is your pua‘a?

Ola ka Huakaʻihele o Hiʻiaka: Becoming Hiʻiaka Part 1 with guest sepaker R. Lahela Kruse

Hawaii Opioid Initiative (HOI) Workgroup members, social workers, health care providers, and community members will come together to learn the Ahupua’a Framework and its applications. Understanding the Upstream: How does the Compact of Free Association (COFA) affect Social Determinants of Health and Policy for Federated States of Micronesia migrants in Hawaii will follow the myth of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele on a journey of transformation, so that we ourselves may be transformed in the process. Through the Kaʻao Framework, implemented by the Hawaiʻi Papa O Ke ʻAo Initiative within the University of Hawaiʻi system, we seek to identify the best pathway forward to heal and prevent substance misuse and overdose, and promote mental health and wellbeing among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Learning Objective 1
Participants will engage in the Ahupuaʻa Model for the ʻOhana Center of Excellence, introduced by Lilinoe Kauahikaua of Papa Ola Lōkahi looking at the impacts of colonization, and implementing cultural intervention at various places effectively providing healing and wellbeing of self and community.

Learning Objective 2
Participants will engage in the Kaʻao Framework (Hua, Haʻalele, Huakaʻi, Hoʻina, Hāʻina – implemented by the University of Hawaiʻi through the Hawaiʻi Papa o Keao Initiative) – utilizing Hawaiʻi traditional myth culture as a framework to transform the experiences and the culture of healthcare professionals
and providers.

Learning Objective 3
Participants will see by implementing a high quality program such as the Huakaʻihele, that is directly recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and equity-based as a means of improving behavioral health and overall well-being guided by the clinical expertise of R. Lahela Kruse, a Native Hawaiian Social Worker.

Learning Objective 4
Finally participants will be invited to experience and engage in multidisciplinary and multidimensional processes for sequencing HUAKAʻI.

DOWNLOADS & REPLAY

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Workshop Presenters

Rachel “Lahela” Kruse, Native Hawaiian Social Worker, CSAC at Big Island Substance Abuse Council (BISAC) on Hawaiʻi island. She works with the mental health population with close attention to substance abuse using traditional healing methods Hoʻokuʻu ka hewa for the individual, also a Haku Hoʻoponopono.

Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani is a cherished member of the Hawaiʻi Island community. People recognize her contributions to the hula community, both in Hawaiʻi and beyond our shores, her training for decades in the tradition of ʻaihaʻa, her vital role in Hālau o Kekuhi. Below are just a few of Kekuhi’s professional accomplishments:

  • Trained in the tradition of Hula ʻAihaʻa & Hula Pele, chant & ritual for 35 years under Hālau O Kekuhi and graduated as Kumu Hula (hula master) of Hālau o Kekuhi by her mother, Kumu Hula Pualani Kanahele and her Aunt Kumu Hula Nalani Kanakaole; ʻUniki date – 2008
  • 1991 and 2014, co-producer of some of Hālau O Kekuhi’s most significant contributions to oral and ritual arts stage performances, namely, Holo Mai Pele, Kamehameha Paiʻea, Kilohi Nā Akua Wahine, Hānau Ka Moku, Wahinepōʻaimoku, Ka Hana Kapa, and CD resources Uwolani, Puka Kamaʻehu and Hiʻiakaikapoliopele.  See these projects at edithkanakaolefoundation.org
  • Bachelorʻs in Hawaiian Studies & Masterʻs degree in Professional Development in Education; currently in a Doctorate of Holistic Health program.
  • Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Hawaiʻi Life Styles program and was a primary force in designing the Hawaiʻi Life Styles degree program and student support center as well as the two-year A.A. degree programs in Hula, Fishing, and Farming at Hawaiʻi Community Colleges, currently A.A. in Hawaiʻi Life Styles with emphasis in these areas.
  • For the 21 years at the University of Hawai’i, Kekuhi has been instrumental in writing for and managing 10 federal grants, resulting in excess of 20 million dollars of Congressional funding, USDOE funding, and others helping fund 8 new positions in Hawaiian studies (HawCC), 4 renovation projects, student support for native Hawaiian students, the UH system’s first degrees in native occupational practices and the very first Hawaiʻi protocols program of any UH system college. She also taught many of the programs courses. 
  • From 2001-2015, Kekuhi served as the Edith Kanakaʻoleʻs Executive Director and continues to volunteer in research, writing, ritual design and facilitation, hula, chant, and other projects of the foundation.
  • A sample of projects for the foundation include: 1) Kanaloa Haunawela – a current ethnographic project for KS, 2) Kiho’iho’i Kanawai – a project for OHA, 3)  Pelehonuamea – a Geothermal project for KS; 4) Honuaiākea Summit for interdisciplinary exploration, 5) ʻĪmakakoloa protocols for public access, 5) ʻAha Pāwalu protocols for 20 year clean up of Kanaloa-Kahoʻolawe
  • Most recent publications include: The Charm of Kiʻi chapter for Moʻolelo, UH Press (publihsed 2023); Embracing the sacred: an indigenous framework for tomorrow’s sustainability science.  Journal for Sustainability Science Special Issue. 2013; Cultivating Sacred Kinship Green readiness, response, and recovery: a collaborative synthesis. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-18x. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2017;  “Increasing Conservation Capacity by Embracing Ritual: Kuahu as a Portal to the Sacred” . Journal of Pacific Conservation Biology Special Issue: Transforming Conservation Biology Through Indigenous Perspectives. 2020.
  • Most recent ritual design & facilitation projects including, 1) ʻAha Mauna, 2) ʻAha Hoʻākua for the Hokuleʻa World Wide Voyage, 3) 2018 Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress -ʻAha ʻAwa, Opening Protocol, Daily Protocol, Closing Protocols
  • 2016 Kekuhi opened Lonoa Honua, a single owner for profit to develop & deliver professional & personal development programs such as: Ulu Ka ʻŌhiʻa-Hula Consciousness Seminar,  Hālau ʻŌhiʻa-Hawaiʻi Stewardship Training, Oli Honua Hawaii Chant training, Kāʻao: Timeless Stories, Kāmoe: Triggering Dream, and ʻIʻiwi Pōlena:  Stewardship Program for Youth. 
  • Lonoa Honua LLC programs has served individuals, institutions, and organizations, including:  OHA, DOFAW, DLNR, KS, USDA-IPIF, NOAA, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, DOE, The Nature Conservancy, UH Manoa Symphony of Hawaiʻiʻs Forests project, US Coral Reef Task Force, USGS-Hawaiʻi Island, PKO, Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference,
  • Lonoa Honua LLC co-creates the ʻIkuwā Fest, a collaboration with Nā ʻOhana Waʻa and ʻImloa Astronomy Center.
  • We are in the 3rd year of the Edith Kanakaʻole World Oli Festival 2023 (formerly known as World Oli Movement) a unique Hybrid multi-day event highlighting the depth and breadth of OLI.
  • One of Kekuhiʻs passionʻs is strengthening the relationship between Hawaiʻi ecological wisdom and scientific wisdom. Kekuhi served as the Senior Scholar at The Kohala Center for 20 years. She has the honor of working with some of Hawaiʻiʻs most passionate committed conservation and restoration organizations, individuals, and initiatives, one of them being the Kā Mauli Hou-the statewide Hawaiʻi Conservation and Restoration Initiative, the USDA Forest Service, Kekuhi continues to facilitate ways of improving how Hawaiʻi consciousness and science & technology consciousness can work in harmony for the wellbeing of Hawaiʻi.
  • In addition to hula, chant, & Hawaiʻi-ecology, Kekuhiʻs love affair with music as a way to heighten and expand vibrations of wellbeing in the world, inspired a singing career. As co-creators, Kekuhi & husband Tangaro gave birth to 3-CDs, “Hahani Mai” (Punahele Productions), and “Kekuhi”, and “Honey Boy” (MountainApple Company). She was honored with a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award as Female Vocalist of the Year in 1999, and has performed on numerous concert stages over the past 20 years. Kekuhi spends part of her music career with her daughter Kaumakaiwa Kealiikanakaole and artist & producer Shawn Kekoa Pimental. We released the single Moloka’i Jam in 2013.  Kekuhi has recently produced and released the 21st Anniversary Edition of Hahani Mai and an all new Hahani Mai: Reimagined on June 21, 2018. The most recent public release of two originals and one remake was in May 2020.

Hānai Ahu: Development and Launch

PRESENTED BY THE AANHPI ʻOHANA CENTER OF EXCELLENCE, MĀPUNA LAB, and PAPA OLA LŌKAHI

Join the Māpuna Lab’s virtual summer training series: Hānai Ahu: Anchoring Culture in Substance Use Treatment & Prevention Models. The series focuses on adopting cultural anchors for substance use treatment and prevention strategies. This series provides a tri-lens cultural view of substance use emphasizing “The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0” framework that recently launched with the Hawaiʻi State Plan for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health. Learn more at mapunalab.com/hanai-ahu. 

What is your ahu?
What is your pua‘a?

Next Steps: Development and Launch

Kealiʻimakamanaonalani Poʻoloa leads the seventh training in the Hānai Ahu: Anchoring Culture in Substance Use Treatment & Prevention Models series in collaboration with the AANHPI ‘Ohana of Excellence. This is Makawalu Naʻauʻao Primary Prevention Curriculum for Substance Use: Reconnecting to Culture, Part 4 ~ Next Steps: Development and Launch

Learning Objectives:

  • Participants will engage in an immersive learning experience and identify ways SAMHSAʻs Working Definition of Recovery can be utilized through engaging with the Makawalu Naʻauʻao Primary Prevention Curriculum for Substance Use.
  •  Participants will learn how to utilize The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0 to understand the importance of itʻs relation to place based learning as presented in the Makawalu Naʻauʻao Primary Prevention Curriculum for Substance Use, as it relates to substance use and recovery.
  • Participants will understand how the activities presented in the Makawalu Naʻauʻao Primary Prevention Curriculum for Substance Use, a culturally based curriculum can be applied in their professional role using the 12 Core Functions of a Counselor for Substance Use (CSAC) working with middle school to high school age youth.

DOWNLOADS & REPLAY

Download the Training flier here

Hānai Ahu: Patient and Practitioner Empowerment through AI

PRESENTED BY THE AANHPI ʻOHANA CENTER OF EXCELLENCE, MĀPUNA LAB, and PAPA OLA LŌKAHI

Join the Māpuna Lab’s virtual summer training series: Hānai Ahu: Anchoring Culture in Substance Use Treatment & Prevention Models. The series focuses on adopting cultural anchors for substance use treatment and prevention strategies. This series provides a tri-lens cultural view of substance use emphasizing “The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0” framework that recently launched with the Hawaiʻi State Plan for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health. Learn more at mapunalab.com/hanai-ahu. 

What is your ahu?
What is your pua‘a?

Patient and Practitioner Empowerment through AI

Hawaii Opioid Initiative (HOI) Workgroup members, social workers, health care providers, and community members will come together to learn the Ahupua’a Framework and its applications. Attendees will learn how AI can empower them as patients and/or practitioners within the healthcare system. Specific 1 examples of the use of AI will involve substance use.

Learning Objective 1
Participants will understand the history and use of the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) acronym in data collection and the importance of data disaggregation for other Pacific Islanders in Hawai‘i.

Learning Objective 2
Participants will identify strategies to avoid creating harm with data-informed decision making and evaluation by understanding how data can provide context on historical and generational trauma of different population groups which can be used as a CSAC screening tool.

Learning Objective 3
Participants will engage in an immersive learning experience with cultural knowledge to develop strategies for inclusion of programming that serves the other Pacific Island communities.

DOWNLOADS & REPLAY

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.

Hānai Ahu: Train the Trainers: Curriculum Framework & Application

PRESENTED BY THE AANHPI ʻOHANA CENTER OF EXCELLENCE, MĀPUNA LAB, and PAPA OLA LŌKAHI

Join the Māpuna Lab’s virtual summer training series: Hānai Ahu: Anchoring Culture in Substance Use Treatment & Prevention Models. The series focuses on adopting cultural anchors for substance use treatment and prevention strategies. This series provides a tri-lens cultural view of substance use emphasizing “The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0” framework that recently launched with the Hawaiʻi State Plan for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health. Learn more at mapunalab.com/hanai-ahu. 

What is your ahu?
What is your pua‘a?

Train the Trainers: Curriculum Framework & Application

Kealiʻimakamanaonalani Poʻoloa leads the seventh training in the Hānai Ahu: Anchoring Culture in Substance Use Treatment & Prevention Models series in collaboration with the AANHPI ‘Ohana Center of Excellence. This is Makawalu Naʻauʻao Primary Prevention Curriculum for Substance Use: Reconnecting to Culture Part 3 – Train the Trainers: Curriculum Framework & Application.

Learning Objectives:

  • Participants will engage in an immersive learning experience and identify how holistic recovery pathways in the Makawalu Naʻauʻao Preventative Curriculum, a culturally based curriculum for middle and high school students, is aligned with SAMHSA’s Working Definition of Recovery.
  • Participants will learn how the Makawalu Naʻauʻao Primary Prevention Curriculum for Substance Use is integrated with The Impacts of Colonization on Ahupuaʻa. Conceptualization, V3.0.
  • Participants will identify how educational, culture-based health frameworks, Pilinahā and 4MAT, may be applied to substance use prevention among middle and high school students.

DOWNLOADS & REPLAY

This event has passed. You can watch the replay on our YouTube, or here on the website.