Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 6, 1 June 2019 — Wai'anae High School goes to the Capitol [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Wai'anae High School goes to the Capitol

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Submitted by Wai'anae High School students Our journey of growing our student voices staifed in October of 2018 with a visit to The Office of Hawaiian Affairs(OHA). Our Hawaiian Studies class met with Aunty Mehana Hind and the Com-

munity Engagement Paia. Aunty Mehana taught us about how OHA betters the lives of Native Hawaiians through providing resources for beneficiaries, facilitating eollaboration between community members, and advocating on behalf of the Hawaiian people. We left our visit inspired to learn more about growing our student voices through civic engagement and advocacy. In January we continued our journey of growing our student voices with a return visit to OHA, where we were introduced to the Public Policy Program team. We worked with Aunty Kamaile Maldonado and Aunty Jocelyn Doane, who engaged us in an interactive Youth Advocacy Workshop. Aunty Kamaile taught us the legislative process for tracking and passing bills, testimony writing, and presenting oral testimony. She also intro-

duced us to OHA's 2019 Legislative package whieh included 3 bills that caught our attention. *(just fyi: HB 192, HB402, and a mental health bill were the ones we monitored)* Our two visits helped comiect us to knowledgable mentors who provided important skills to grow our student voices and be more civically engaged. These tools empowered us

to actively engage in the legislative process by attending numerous committee meetings to testify in support of bills that we were passionate about. We also attended Ku'i at the Capitol/Opening Day of the Legislature, Hawaiian Caucus Day, Advocacy Day with the Hawaiian Civic Clubs, as well as floor sessions in the Senate and House chambers. All of these important connections helped us find our purpose and better understand the impact our generation ean make to better our communities by using our voices, to advocate on behalf our people and Hawai'i. Our Hawaiian Studies class at Wai 'anae High School would like to mahalo our OHA mentors for teaching us about advocacy, engaging us in understanding the different bills, connecting with us through various learning experiences, and always feeding us with knowledge. ■

Shannon Nohealani Bucūsūs, o Howoiion Studies teocher ot Wai'onoe High School, coordinote the students octivities, including this gathering ot the OHA board room. - Photos: Courtesy

Above, Keoni Reverio Dietz.

Kumu Hina Wong shares her mana'o with the students.

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Left to right: Kala'e, KOlia and Ku'uhiwahiwa.