Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 7, 1 July 1994 — ʻAha ʻŌpio: creating future Hawaiian leaders [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻAha ʻŌpio: creating future Hawaiian leaders

by Jeff Clark "You inherit a great responsibility when you are born — you inherit the future of our people. You have to strengthen your beliefs and listen to yourself first, then everything will fall into plaee. ... Train your minds and hone those talents and skills whieh lie dormant in you." Thus 1991-92 'Aha 'Ōpio govemor Luke Wong challenged the delegates to 'Aha 'Opio 1994, the

Ottice ot Hawanan Affairs" seventh annu- I al youth legislature. I High school students I who will be seniors in I the fall eome from all I islands and the I Mainland to draft, I debate and vote on I bills, elect officers, I and in the process get ' a hands-on education on the workings of

government. The residential program is steeped in Hawaiian eulture thanks to OHA's kūpuna team.

Some of the bills and resolutions introduced and debated by the student legislators involved: • using ceded lands revenues for education and health care, • strengthening Hawaiian language instruction in the public schools, • restricting water usage by golf courses, • studying the social impacts of shipboard gambling, and • expediting the awarding of

home lands leases. Kekoa Viernes I (Ka'ū High), electI ed President of the I Senate, said. "Most I of the bills and res1 olutions are about 9 education and land 9 - those are the two I main topics," he ' said. He added that "heahh is important because we need to

make ourselves strong in a mental and physical way. Then we ean educate ourselves, and then we ean go back to the land. Then

. we ean be ready if sovereignty happens." Speaker of the House Ke'ala Soares (Kamehameha S e h o o 1 s ) thanked the corps of volunteer staffers I for their help. "At first it was really hard because people were eon-

fused and I was confused but I always had one of the uncles sitting behind me to help me and it was good. By the time we eame to session today (Friday), we were just ripping. We were really on it and we were going through everything really fast. "You ean really see the leadership coming out of this group." Lily Lyons (Konawaena), who was elected governor in 1993 and returned to serve this year, said the current crop of junior legislators was really on the ball. "Our year, we were kind of uneasy, but this year they jumped right into it," Lyons said. OHA education officer Rona Rodenhurst agreed. "This class was very responsible in terms of meeting deadlines and gathering whatever information they needed. ... And then they were able to express their ideas in a manner that others could understand - this group was very articulate." Konohiki (advisor to the Lt. Governor) Robson Kuakini Hind

(Punahou) said, "I learned how to do something for everyone - not just Hawaiians but people in general. ... I have a really good feeling about this conference. It was wonderful."

Newly elected governor Hidi Nae'ole is ready for poliūeal office: "I learned that you have to negotiate in politics and that there are ways to get around things to get something done," she said. That'll serve her well in the school next year, when she'll be student body president at Pāhoa High School. SheTl return net year as the governor of the 1995 'Aha 'Ōpio. Her parents, Emily

and Harold Nae'ole, surprised their daughter by appearing for closing ceremonies at Saint Andrew's, where they

were, in turn, surprised by the news of Hidi's election. "We're from the sticks - Pāhoa. We're way out in the boonies, so it's a real big honor for our daughter to

be governor. It just goes to show that good things ean eome from the smaller schools, too."

Senate President Kekoa Viernes

'Aha 'Opio 1994's Mainland contingent: Malani Shubin of Fresno, California; Keolu Smith of Anchorage, Alaska; and Pomai Nathaniel of San Antonio, Texas.

m I mn "i ii nn , .11,1,1 in.i ■ i.miin ■ ■ inim Vi'iiu 11 I 11 irfii-.il ir ii( II ..imi 1 1. n I ■ 1.1 ~r.rn 1 iViYūirriTniTMT'iiriTir ii'i'i'i 11 i'i'm'i iii u" I 1 n 1 .111 .1 1 1 1 1 i'iy 1 m im 1 1 iiīa Ttii 1» rin 1 ( r i'- irri 1 r riYi r- 1 tiYi riīīiT 1 Hawaiian !eaders-in-the-making: The delegates to 'Aha 'Ōpio 1994. Photos byJeffClark

Leihulu Coelho (Saint Francis) takes part in a committee hearing on Hawaiian language education.