Kupu Community Program

Five Kupu participants sitting by a stream, engaged in stripping taro plants.

Kupu Community Program is an Oahu based program that prepares under-resourced youth for the workforce by providing life skills training, green job and education opportunities 

Community Program members start by participating in 6 weeks of Mālama ʻĀina with our knowledgeable staff. Once this phase is completed, members then move on to working on their education goals. 

Students who qualify can work towards getting their high school diploma through our partnership with the DOE schools in the Honolulu District. Otherwise, in partnership with the McKinley School for Adults, we assist our members with tutoring and HiSet/GED testing.  

Community participants also engage Workforce Development through our culinary and events program while enrolled in the program. 

Kupu participants gather for a group photo.

"Some of us wanted to connect to our culture. Some of us were practicing being safely uncomfortable, knowing that two-weeks spent away from our comfort zones would demand growth. Each of our individual journeys for connection, independence, rooting, better understanding ourselves, and better understanding others, were supported always by Kuaihelani and those privileged enough to call her home for a time." — Emma Broderick, Kupu’s Community Program Employment Coordinator

Four female participants making shaka gestures and displaying mud-painted faces in a group photo.
Kupu participants join hands with a large group in the State of Hawaii Capitol building for a moment of silence.
Kupu participant pounds poi in State of Hawaii Capitol building.
Male participant transporting a substantial bundle of harvested taro plants from a nearby patch.

  • Program Information:

    • Based on Oʻahu

    • Positions are available at the Hoʻokupu Center in Kewalo Basin Harbor, Honolulu

    • Year-long program, with applications accepted year-round

    Benefits:

    • Participate in meaningful work rehabilitating Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems and increasing the sustainability of the ʻāina

    • Learn valuable vocational and life skills that will provide an advantage in a competitive job market

    • Serve the community while having fun outdoors and making new friends

    • Obtain a Certificate of High School Equivalency

    • Eligibility for paid on-the-job training placements and/or financial assistance to cover costs of vocational training

    Qualifications:

    • Be between 16-24 years of age

    • Have reliable transportation to the facility in Kewalo Basin

    • Interested in natural resource conservation, renewable energy, or sustainable living

    • Meet the necessary physical and behavioral requirements

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Mahalo to our Partner

Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority

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