June 2022 Newsletter
A Season Within
Today we gaze up to see mahina ʻOlekūlua, the mahina of 50% illumination, one that teaches us lessons of a wholeness made up of the balance of shadow and light. This moon is a great teacher to so many of us, and visits us today on the birthday of one of her most loyal students, our recently departed Uncle Pono Shim. We take time today to pause, look back, and turn our gaze to the future as we sit in the present.
The next occasion we see mahina ʻOlekūlua will be on June 20th, also an auspicious day in the year-travel of ka Lā, the sun. That day will be the day of most sunlight hours, the longest day of the year – Ke Alanui Polohiwa a Kāne, the Summer Solstice. It is a time of maximum illumination, a time to let sunlight wash over us on the outside, and feed our pōtential on the inside. At this point of the year, we see ka Lā journeying directly overhead our archipelago, arcing from the southern tip of Moku O Keawe to Papahānaumokuākea and back, in Kau Ka Lā i Ka Lolo. Kau ka lā i ka lolo, sometimes called “high noon”, occurs when the sun is directly overhead our islands – maximizing our exposure to the brightness above, and pulling all shadows into our physical vessels. We have an opportunity to examine the wholeness of our dark and light essence from the inside out, to experience a season of balance between our inner universe and the universe shared with the world.
Pause. Pivot. Balance. How will you experience the season within? What might lie beneath the surface, examined but waiting for another time to emerge into the realm of light?
Announcing: EI Website Re-Launch
It’s finally here! Our brand-new website, lovingly crafted by our friends at Tapiki, LLC. This new website represents a deliberate effort by our team to finally allow ourselves to be seen… those who know us know that 1) we only had a website because it would be weird not to, and 2) we usually stay behind-the-scenes (in Miki’s case, under the podium, iykyk). After months of carefully selecting and sorting through photos, text, and layouts, we invite you to join us in our IWA-verse where Innovation With Aloha is served daily. We would love to hear your feedback and suggestions about our site – please contact us at [email protected] and let us know what you think about the site!
Join us for our next Foundations of ALOHA cohort
We invite you to join us for our next Foundations of ALOHA cohort (register at bit.ly/cohort16reg). FOA combines lessons and experiences that we have gathered as teachers, parents, entrepreneurs, and voyagers; our core teachings are guided by the wisdom of Aunty Pilahi Paki via our work with renowned storyteller Pono Shim. We know that community and spaces to share stories and challenges are just as important as personal reminders and practices to live and grow our ALOHA daily; our FOA ʻohana is often the medicine we need in our journey towards collective healing and wholeness.
As part of our FOA journey, we also host aconversation around a selected book for anyone interested. This month, we will be reading two books in a series — Tao of Pooh and Te of Piglet. We understand that folks might be interested and have not yet had the opportunity to read the book. Please feel free to join us wherever you might be in your process of exploring this book. We are pretty loosely structured in terms of the reading and have an asynchronous sharing doc that helps us keep track of thoughts, inspirations, and quotes that we find memorable as we move through our readings in our own timeline. Join us on Tuesday, June 28th from 12pm – 1pm for our Zoom discussion.
Opportunities for Educators
Join us for any number of HOPE Summer Institutes, including one we are co-hosting with Polynesian Voyaging Society on voyaging- and mālama honua-related professional and curriculum development for educators. These institutes are coordinated through the Hawaiʻi Online Portal for Education (HOPE) project, which aims to engage Hawaiʻi teachers in accessing and creating digital content for Hawaiʻi learners. Eligible participants will receive stipends for the time and energy you invest in content creation. Content is designed to be digital, and most institutes are 100% virtual; asynchronous options are available for some of the opportunities listed. You can see the most recently updated list and register via this link!
Register your interest at bit.ly/HOPE22Summer, and contact the HOPE team for more information at [email protected].
Register to attend the 4th Annual STEMS² Symposium! This three-day experience will include opportunities to engage both online and in person. Participants are welcome to join locally on Oʻahu or from a distance. In-person experiences will include activities that physically engage participants with people and places around O‘ahu. Online experiences will include workshops, poster sessions, and talk stories/paper presentations. Whether you participate locally on Oʻahu or from a distance, join fellow STEMS² enthusiasts who share a passion for exploring the roles that place, culture, and identity play in interdisciplinary education.
E Kū Ana Ka Paia: Teacher Workshop for Building Climate Change Resilience
Upper elementary, middle or high school Hawai’i educators are invited to a three-day workshop July 13-15. Learn about climate change, how it’s impacting Hawai’i, and how we can engage students to take action through place-based activities grounded in Hawaiian perspectives. Click here for more details and to submit a short application.
Share Your Thoughts on the future of Oʻahu’s Economy
The Oʻahu Economic Development Board and partners invite you to share your ideas for a thriving Hawaiʻi economy and community. Your input will help create the 2022-2026 Oʻahu Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) to guide an economic future that ensures our island home and community will thrive. You can share your thoughts at an upcoming virtual community meeting on Saturday, June 11th at 9:30am, as well as through this short 5-10 minute survey.
Take the Survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/oahu-economy
Register for the June 11th Community Input Meeting: bit.ly/oahu-economymeeting
Survey responses and input from sessions will help create the 2022-2026 Oʻahu Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (Oʻahu CEDS) and ensure this action plan reflects what is most important to our communities. Based on input from this survey and upcoming community meetings, the Oʻahu Economic Development Board will create a draft for public feedback before the plan is completed later this summer. You can learn more about this effort and ways to get involved at www.oedb.biz/oahu-economy
With Gratitude
Thank you so much to the Hawaii Employers Council, City & County of Honolulu, University of Wisconsin Stout, Swarthmore College, Waimea High School, and Oʻahu Economic Development Board for creating space this past month for our team to share our learnings, experiences, and insights on being and growing ALOHA in our personal and professional lives.
We also send humble thanks tothe organizers and volunteers of the Shinnyo Lantern Floating program and interactive experience for allowing us to continue to share the wisdom of Uncle Pono, his Aunty Pilahi Paki, and the thousands of students of ALOHA through your broadcast. Thanks to the film crew for accommodating Miki’s desire to share the space with Uncle Pono via video; and to those who have not yet seen our new office, you can catch a glimpse of it in the broadcast. If you missed it or would like to rewatch it, it is viewable at lanternfloatinghawaii.com.
Photos courtesy of Pam Omidyar and Miki Tomita