Media-Focused Career Training for Molokai Youth

Hokulani Children’s Theater of Molokai News Release

After two successful years of offering free performing arts education and staging eight beloved community performances, Hokulani Children’s Theatre of Molokai (CTOM) is taking a bold and exciting next step. Our mission has always been to nurture creativity, confidence, and community in our keiki—and now, we’re expanding that vision by building real-world career pathways in media and the performing arts.
Thanks to growing support and grant funding, Hokulani CTOM is launching professional media production training right here on Molokai. This shift is more than just a program change—it’s a transformation in how we prepare our youth for thriving futures in the arts.
Now, with new partnerships and expanding resources, we’re preparing to take that experience even further. By joining forces with Akaku Maui Community Media and University of Hawaii Maui College Molokai Education Center, we’re giving youth access to professional training in media production, from digital storytelling and filmmaking to lighting, sound design, and editing. These are real-world skills that will help turn creative passion into lifelong careers.
Hokulani CTOM is also committed to building a future beyond the stage. Twelve percent of all grant funding is set aside specifically to help youth pursue additional training and higher education in the performing arts. We are making a lifetime commitment to our keiki now, with the hope that they will grow into the next generation of Molokai’s culture-keepers, artists, and community leaders.
We invite the entire Molokai community to join us in this exciting movement. Visit our booth at Keiki Fest on Saturday, April 26 to learn more about opportunities for youth ages 5–18. Also, join our annual community program planning meeting on Wednesday, May 7 at 6 p.m. at Home Pumehana to help shape the next year of programming and share what you believe will benefit our keiki most.
Interested in a youth internship? We encourage any interested teenagers to attend the May 7 meeting with a parent or guardian, or call Vicki Boswell at (808) 658-0869 for more information.
With mentorship as our foundation, and community as our guide, we are building more than a program. We’re building a legacy of opportunity.
E kūkulu kākou i ka wā e hiki mai ana — together, let’s build the future.