Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 8, 1 August 1988 — OHA-Sponsored ʻAha ʻOpio Tremendous Success [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA-Sponsored ʻAha ʻOpio Tremendous Success

Three American lndians Among 52 Hawaiian Students Youth Legislators Highly Aeelaim Conference

By Kenny Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA

This conference has been and wul always be one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever been privileged to take part in. I am so glad and extremely proud that I was involved in it. I shall never forget your teaching as they have had a tremendous effect on my life." Colleen L. Apo, Kamehameha, Senate Fresident. "I want to inform you all that you did an outstanding job in training and teaching me, the Hawaiian youth, the poliheal process. I learned a great deal about parliamentary procedure and most importantly about a part of my life I really never thought about. It was because of you I've learned the needs and pleas of our Hawaiian people and because of this 1 will now try to promote my Hawaiian heritage as mueh as possible. "During the conference I leamed the real meaning of Aloha, the unconditional feeling of love that we have for eaeh other. This experience is one I will always treasure. I will never forget your words and all of your support and smiles. Since I have eome to understand my other half through the Hawaiian feelings expressed at the conference, I ean say now that my life is one." Brian Te'o, Kahuku High School, Speaker of the House. "We didn't want to leave eaeh other because we became friends. That was the hard part. We kind of grew on eaeh other. I had an idea about the legislative process but not as thorough as we had leamed in just one short week." Gerrine Kaiwi, Senator, Hana High School. These are but three of the feelings expressed by student legislators attending the first Office of Hawaiian Affairs 'Aha 'Opio O OHA June 20-24. It was a modified version of the more widely-known YMCA Youth Legislature with heavy emphasis on Hawaiian. The week-long event was an idea conceived by OHA Education Officer Rona Rodenhurst, former Hawaiian language instructor in the University of Hawai'i Hawaiian Studies Department, and her staff of two, along with her husband, Walter V. Rodenhurst III, other OHA staff, including OHA Kupuna Community Coordinator Betty Kawohiokalani Jenkins and Ululani Garmon, and a dedicated crew of volunteers, pulled off a tremendously successful effort.

The undertaking was so impressive that it moved State Representative Joe Leong to comment: "Coming in cold, these youngsters did remarkably well. These youngsters were very good. They worked hard and with lots of mana'o. It is a good learning experience for them. I see some of them with the potential of being outstanding leaders in our Hawaiian community. They tackled the issues and eame up with some good pieces of legislation whieh I'd like to consider." Leong, a member of the Waialua Hawaiian Civic Club, represents the 14th Representative District, stretching from Kaena Point to Waialua, Kahuku, Haleiwa and a portion of Laie. He was the only Hawaiian legislator who spent the entire five days with

the youths. Leong explained that he was very interested in the program, especially the youths and their future and how they grasp the legislative process. "I attended because I wanted to be there if they needed my help. He said he was happy many of the students consulted him and glad he was able to contribute to the conference. I should have been out campaigning but this was too important for me to miss," the North Shore legislator concluded. Of the 55 students who eame from all the islands except Lana'i, three were American Indians, all from reservations. They were Anita Abrego, a Lummi from Ferndale High School in Ferndale, see 'Aha 'Opio, page 2

Youth legislators at 'Aha 'Opio are caught in this panoramic setting by the camera lens of talented photo-journalist Sabra Kauka McCracken.

'Aha 'Opio, from page 1 Wash.; Glee Charlie, Sto: lofrom Chehalis, British Columbia; and Tana Mussell, Sto: lo, Chilliwack, B. C. The three expressed how amazed they were to leam that Indian and Hawaiian cultures and problems are very similar. They noted that the problems shared by Indians and Hawaiians are in the areas of land issues, fishing rights, genealogy and education. Moses K. Keale Sr., chairman of the OHA Board of Trustees, was ecstatic over the day to day proceedings and the accomplishments of the youth legislators. Keale opined that one day some of these youths may be sitting in the very chairs they occupied during the moek sessions. "You never ean tell what's down the road for these youngsters. Some of them may eome back as our legislators a few years from now," Keale enthusiastically remarked. He observed how important it was that OHA sponsored such aconference because "about onehalf of our Hawaiian population is 17 or younger and it is important to start leadership training while they are in school. This is where it's at." "For too long we stress education and education does not a leader make. A leader is trained. But to have an educated leader that's even more beautiful. And this is what this kind of thing ('Aha 'Opio) is all about," Keale stated. Like Rep. Leong, Keale was so impressed at the speed with whieh the youth legislators grappled with their problems. Keale and Maui Trustee Manu Kahaiali'i spent some of their evenings with the students at their Hale Aloha dormitory for evening programs conducted by Kupuna Jenkins and Garmon who talked of love, values, culture and problem-solving. The students loved these sessions and so expressed themselves in a resolution on closing day.