Island Youth

Junior Youth Group Honors Firefighters

Thursday, August 28th, 2025

By Paul Hanley

Members of a Junior Youth Empowerment Program, ages 11-14, wanted to find ways to serve the community. They started with a trash pick-up at the wharf a few weeks ago and then decided they wanted to thank firefighters on Molokai for their service.

On Friday, Aug. 15, the kids had a holiday from school, so they met to bake cookies and then packed them up to take them to each of the fire departments on the island at Hoʻolehua, Kaunakakai and Pukoʻo. At each station, they met some of the firefighters, learned how they do their work and how they live while on duty.…

11th Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament

Thursday, July 17th, 2025

By Léo Azambuja
It appears the fish had no chance at Maurice Point last Saturday. With about 160 young fishermen — some skilled, some beginners — competing for prizes at a children’s fishing tournament, hundreds of fish were hooked over the weekend. Most, however, were returned to the ocean.
“It’s a catch and release (tournament),” said Robert Kalawe Jr., founder and organizer of the Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament. He added it is important to teach catch-and-release to children because it teaches them conservation at a young age, and also how to give back to the ocean.
Armed with bamboo poles distributed by the organization, every child had the same chance of catching the biggest fish when the 11th edition of the free tournament kicked off July 12 at 10 a.m.…

Kids Learn While Restoring Hawaiian Fishponds

Thursday, July 10th, 2025

By Léo Azambuja

Armed with aloha and good intentions, a group of children removed thousands of pounds of invasive species plus some debris from a loko i‘a, or Hawaiian fishpond, on Molokai’s south shore last week. 

“Yesterday, they removed invasive species, gorilla ogo, because we have a lot of gorilla ogo on the south shore of Molokai. And then today, we were just taking all the fence that was located by the second makaha (wooden gate),” said Tiani Cook, executive director of the nonprofit organization Ka Honua Momona.

About 15 children enrolled on Maui Economic Development’s summer program worked at the Kaloko‘eli fishpond in Kamiloloa last week.…

4-H Teaches Leadership, Responsibilities to Children

Thursday, June 19th, 2025

By Léo Azambuja
Several children of all ages showcased their animals during the annual 4-H Club Expo in Kualapu‘u earlier this month.
“It’s a youth development program,” club leader Lane Kamakana said. “We try to develop leadership, responsibility and life skills; and that’s the biggest point of our whole program.”
The 4-H season begun in November, when the kids started showing up for monthly meetings, according to Kamakana, a 4-H program alumni.
“Our steer project started in December, our swine project started in March, and our Clover Bud project started in April,” he said.
Thirty three kids showcased their animals at Lanikeha Community Center on June 7, in an event that started at 9 a.m.…