Mahalo - 6th Annual Hawai'i Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference (In-person)

Open to 8th-12th grade students and educators, participants had the opportunity to connect and learn from peers and will hone their knowledge and skills to create a more just and equitable school communities of belonging.

The 2024 conference featured Keynote Speakers Dr. Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe (Native Hawaiian Affairs Program Officer, Director of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center, University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa), Kealoha (first Poet Laureate of Hawaiʻi - internationally acclaimed poet and storyteller), Uncle Dean Wilhelm, founder and co-executive director of Hoʻokuaʻāina, and Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (acclaimed cultural practitioner, film maker and civic leader), student-facilitated dialogue and activities, professional development opportunities for educators, and service learning opportunities with community partners. 

ʻĀina and its stories are integral components that shape us, serve as a grounding force, and connect us to our roots, culture, and history. With this in mind, the conference integrated opportunities to participate in service work and learn the moʻolelo of ʻāina at various sites on the Windward side of Oʻahu.

This combination of experience, dialogue, and facilitated learning served as the ideal approach for exploring the conference theme: Stories We Inherit, Stories We Pass Down, Stories That Empower Change. Join us as we deepen our:

• Inner Practice: Focusing on identity awareness and engaging in practices to grow the dispositions and capacities within us that enable us to do DEIB work in a balanced, healthy and sustainable way

• Outer Practice: Focusing on learning, adapting and applying the knowledge and skills gained through Shanti Alliance to engage in DEIB work in the school community

Mahalo to the generous sponsorship of the Stevens World Peace Foundation. Mahalo to partner with Mid-Pacific Institute’s Kupu Hou Academy for providing conference support and facilitation of some of our educator sessions! Mahalo to Mid-Pacific Institute and Le Jardin Academy for hosting our conference!