June 7–July 2, 2021 | Summer 2021 Culture-Based Leadership Course

In June 2021, PLC partnered with The Estria Foundation (TEF) to deliver a four-week credit-bearing culture-based leadership course. The purpose of the course was to engage ALO student participants in a hands-on interactive creative-arts curriculum designed to increase students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions regarding cultural preservation, community building, leadership, and communicating their ideas through art. The essential question that framed this culture-based leadership course was, “What is special about Ka‘u, Kea‘au, and Pāhoa?” This question guided all the activities and helped students engage with their existing knowledge base and draw new patterns between their ideas and others in their community. Due to COVID-19 protocols, TEF delivered the classes online. Throughout the program, students participated in virtual field trips and engaged in discussions with content experts, community leaders, and other mentors from various fields of study such as hula, forestry, and storytelling.