Nalukai Spring 2025

Nalukai Academy’s Spring Break program will be held from March 17-22 at Kanu o Ka ʻĀina Charter School. Student applications due February 24, 2025

This Spring Break, Nalukai is offering West and North Hawaiʻi Island high school students a free introduction to social entrepreneurship focusing on leadership, innovative stewardship and effective communication. Over 6 days of engaging workshops, students will work with local industry experts, cultural practitioners, and community leaders to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing our island, collaborate to develop products, services, and campaigns to remedy them, then pitch their solutions to the community.

Innovative Stewardship

Leadership

Effective Communication

  • March 17th - 22nd, 2025 at Kanu o Ka ʻĀina Charter School (64-1043 Hiiaka St, Waimea, HI 96743)

  • 6-hour sessions held daily 9:30am-3:30pm

  • All program supplies and materials are provided, including lunch

  • All participants will receive a brand-new laptop that they may keep upon completion of program

  • Open to current West Hawaiʻi Island high school students, including those at Kohala High School, Kanu o Ka ʻĀina, Parker School, Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy, West Hawaiʻi Explorations Academy, Kealakehe High School and Honokaʻa High School

  • Student applications are due on February 24th, 2025

Nalukai Academy Spring ‘25 Details

Hear about Nalukai Spring 2024:

About the Program

Last March, Nalukai held its first-ever Spring Break program for West Hawaiʻi Island students on the campus of Kanu o ka ʻĀina Public Charter School, serving 16 students and returning Nalukai alumni from Kanu o ka ʻĀina, Parker School, Honokaʻa High School, Kealakehe High School, and West Hawaiʻi Explorations Academy.

Over 6 consecutive days, student Founders identified and researched significant local issues, engaged with the community to ideate and validate potential solutions and pitched their ventures to a live Hōʻike audience. 

Enormous growth, not just in entrepreneurship skills, but also leadership, self-confidence and eagerness to serve their communities was evident in studentsʻ post-camp reflections and impressive pitch day presentations.

We attribute these profound student outcomes, achieved in such a short period of time, to the holistic, place-based entrepreneurship curriculum co-developed and facilitated by former Shopify Senior UX Designer, Carlo Liquido, former Office of Hawaiian Education teacher Paoakalani Shook and cultural consultant Kawika Shook. Utilizing the Nā Hopena Aʻo frameworkʻs structure and outcomes as its foundation, the Spring program provided students with a uniquely compelling introduction to Design Thinking and Lean Startup practices contextualized by the moʻolelo, values and challenges of their own Waimea, Kohala and Waikoloa communities.