May 2020 Newsletter
Inside
Education Incubator
In the last month as Hawaiʻi transitioned to learn-from-home, work-from-home, our EI team began offering youth and their families daily opportunities for social connection, mindfulness practices, non-screen engagement and exploration activities.
So far, we have directly engaged with kids and families from 4 islands across Hawaiʻi, 5 states, and 3 different countries!
Our first cycle of activities engaged participants to explore their homes as well as their imaginations with activities that support creative confidence, STEM, sustainability, resourcefulness, well-being and connection to our families and our homes. We love seeing each of our participants every day, and have been so blessed to have our participants lead us in activities they design too! Thank you to Mayumi, Riley, Kamau, and Ms. Celeste for being both participants and teachers in our program. We hope to have more of our “rEInventors” leading activities in the weeks to come!
We are also so grateful for our partners Molly from Blue Zones Project who leads live yoga sessions for our participants, and local teacher and coach DJ who provides daily workouts suitable for all ages. Movement is so important for health and well-being, and the laughter we share is a great added bonus!
On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Radford High School’s Sustainability Capstone course hosted a day of rEInvent Learning At Home. From morning meditation led by instructor Dr. Krista Hiser and her family, to movement exercises, a DIY kitchen composter build project, and an activity booklet to teach about the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, this awesome class brought us so many ways to learn about sustainability and taking care of our planet. Mahalo!
Our current rEInvent Learning at Home focus is Peace at Home, Peace for the Planet, in partnership with and inspired by Dame Julia Morton-Marr of the Council on Global Issues and International School Peace Gardens. “Granny Julia” is one of 1000 women of peace to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and joins us live throughout the cycle from her home in Canada. Sign up to explore peace in your home and peace for the world!
We’ve also launched a Wonder | Adventure | Impact program in partnership with Dan Kinzer of Pacific Blue Studios where participants explore different technologies used to build maps, and explore what “mapping community” means to each of us. These sessions meet Fridays 11:00-11:45am; click here for more information and to register!
We are humbled and honored to introduce our newest program – Foundations of ALOHA – guided by the teachings of Auntie Pilahi Paki and Pono Shim. Our 5-week program launches on May 18, and will be focused on engaging youth and families in building hearts and minds around ALOHA through exploring practices of Akahai, Lokahi, Oluʻolu, Haʻahaʻa, and Ahonui.
Youth will be provided daily activities that help to build their ALOHA responses, from inside themselves, to the community, and out to the planet. In order to best support our youth, we ask that parents/guardians of the youth be involved in the program as well. Families will be invited to meet with renowned healer and storyteller Pono Shim, to explore how ALOHA shows up for their families in this time of physical distancing. Register for this cohort here.
Join us!
We extend our deep gratitude to our primary funders thus far – the The Omidyar ‘Ohana and the Howard K.L. Castle Foundation – for your support of Education Incubator and our journey to rEInvent Learning at Home!
Every day, our team works to support the community we serve through engaging activities, mindfulness practices, and social connection. We began this “rEInvent Learning at Home” pilot program with a small group of youth and their families a few weeks ago, offering stability and engagement through a combination of morning and afternoon live connections for meditation and sharing, daily learning opportunities for youth to engage in by themselves or with their family, and movement and exercise activities. In addition to the youth and families we directly engage with, teachers from various regions have also begun to integrate our activities into their distance learning plans — it is our hope that these and other programs offer support and engagement for as many youth as possible.
We kindly ask that you help us continue and grow our rEInvent Learning at Home program by donating to our cause. For #GivingTuesdayNow, we have established a GoFundMe; additionally, you can contact us to make a direct donation if you so choose. Your gift will help us reach more youth and families in our communities.