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Who We Serve

Strengthening Youth, ʻOhana, & Community on the Waiʻanae Coast

Kamaehu O Ke Kaiāulu supports Native Hawaiian youth ages 12–25 and their families on the Waiʻanae Coast through culturally grounded pathways that honor their strengths, identities, and community connections.

Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.

Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.

Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.
Youth Ages 12–25
1/4
Our primary focus is on adolescents and young adults navigating critical developmental years.
ʻOhana & Families
2/4
We engage families as essential partners in youth health, recognizing that strong ʻohana connections are foundational to healing and growth.
Waiʻanae Coast Members
3/4
We serve the broader Waiʻanae Coast community by building culturally grounded systems of care that benefit all residents.
Youth Leaders & Researchers
4/4
Young people are not just participants — they are leaders and co-creators of this work.

What We Do

Building a Community-Based System of Care

Kamaehu O Ke Kaiāulu works across healthcare, education, and community sectors to transform youth well-being through:

Research & Design
Programs are designed with Waiʻanae Coast families and youth as co-researchers who help shape interventions through mentorship in data collection, analysis, and storytelling.
Click here
Cultural Well-Being
The Kaiona Survey measures well-being through a culturally grounded lens that honors connection to ʻāina, ʻohana, and identity.
Click here
Community Programming
We connect youth from health centers and schools to culturally rooted Kaiona programs that support healing, growth, and belonging.
Click here
Narrative Shift
We unite healthcare, education, and community partners while lifting stories that challenge deficit narratives and shift how institutions support Native Hawaiian youth and families.
Click here
Research & Design
Programs are designed with Waiʻanae Coast families and youth as co-researchers who help shape interventions through mentorship in data collection, analysis, and storytelling.
Click here
Cultural Well-Being
The Kaiona Survey measures well-being through a culturally grounded lens that honors connection to ʻāina, ʻohana, and identity.
Click here
Community Programming
We connect youth from health centers and schools to culturally rooted Kaiona programs that support healing, growth, and belonging.
Click here
Narrative Shift
We unite healthcare, education, and community partners while lifting stories that challenge deficit narratives and shift how institutions support Native Hawaiian youth and families.
Click here
Research & Design
Programs are designed with Waiʻanae Coast families and youth as co-researchers who help shape interventions through mentorship in data collection, analysis, and storytelling.
Click here
Cultural Well-Being
The Kaiona Survey measures well-being through a culturally grounded lens that honors connection to ʻāina, ʻohana, and identity.
Click here
Community Programming
We connect youth from health centers and schools to culturally rooted Kaiona programs that support healing, growth, and belonging.
Click here
Narrative Shift
We unite healthcare, education, and community partners while lifting stories that challenge deficit narratives and shift how institutions support Native Hawaiian youth and families.
Click here
Research & Design
Programs are designed with Waiʻanae Coast families and youth as co-researchers who help shape interventions through mentorship in data collection, analysis, and storytelling.
Click here
Cultural Well-Being
The Kaiona Survey measures well-being through a culturally grounded lens that honors connection to ʻāina, ʻohana, and identity.
Click here
Community Programming
We connect youth from health centers and schools to culturally rooted Kaiona programs that support healing, growth, and belonging.
Click here
Narrative Shift
We unite healthcare, education, and community partners while lifting stories that challenge deficit narratives and shift how institutions support Native Hawaiian youth and families.
Click here

Research & Design

Cultural Well-Being

Community Programming

Narrative Shift

Research & Design

Programs are designed with Waiʻanae Coast families and youth as co-researchers who help shape interventions through mentorship in data collection, analysis, and storytelling.

Click here

Why This Work Exists

A Community-Grounded Response to Health Disparities

Kamaehu O Ke Kaiāulu was established through National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding awarded to Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC) to advance systems change that reduces health disparities. But this initiative is more than a health project.

It is a structural response to:

Generational historical trauma

Colonization, displacement, and cultural suppression continue to impact Native Hawaiian families through generational trauma that shows up as health disparities, educational barriers, and community fragmentation. Healing means acknowledging this history and rebuilding through cultural strength and resilience.

Cultural disconnection

Many youth grow up distanced from their language, land, and ancestral practices through systems that have historically devalued Native Hawaiian ways of knowing. This disconnection limits access to sources of identity, purpose, and belonging essential to well-being.

Systemic inequities in education and healthcare

Waiʻanae Coast communities face persistent barriers to quality education and healthcare due to underfunding, institutional bias, and policies not designed for Native Hawaiian families. These inequities limit opportunities and perpetuate cycles of disadvantage affecting youth development and long-term health.

Stigma surrounding mental health services

Mental health is often viewed through a Western clinical lens emphasizing individual pathology over collective well-being. For many Native Hawaiian families, seeking help can feel like admitting failure or inviting judgment. Breaking down stigma means reframing mental health as holistic wellness — connected to ʻāina, ʻohana, and culture — and offering support that honors cultural identity.

Western-centric systems often fail to recognize cultural identity, connection to ʻāina, and ʻike kūpuna as foundational to well-being. Kamaehu O Ke Kaiāulu exists to shift systems toward a culturally grounded, strength-centered model of care.

Long-Term Impact

Shifting Systems for Generational Well-Being

Kamaehu O Ke Kaiāulu aims to influence:

Healthcare Policy

Educational Practice

Community-Based Service Models

Funding & Resource Allocation

Workforce Development & Training

Public Narrative & Community Perception

Healthcare Policy

Educational Practice

Community-Based Service Models

Funding & Resource Allocation

Workforce Development & Training

Public Narrative & Community Perception

Our Mission

Strengthening Youth Through Culture and Connection

Kamaehu O Ke Kaiāulu strengthens youth health and well-being on the Waiʻanae Coast by reconnecting young people to ʻāina, culture, ʻohana, and community through a Native Hawaiian-centered system of care.

Rooted in the Native Hawaiian worldview of health — lōkahi, ʻāina, and ʻohana — the project builds pathways for youth (ages 12–25) and their families to thrive.

The Framework

Guided by the Kaiona Framework

The Kaiona Framework represents navigation through space and time — grounding youth in ancestral abundance while guiding them toward future growth.

Surrounding the piko are six guiding elements:

Click

Mauli Ola

Balance and harmony between kānaka, akua, and ʻāina.

Click

Mauli Ola

Balance and harmony between kānaka, akua, and ʻāina.

Click

Waiwai

Ancestral abundance that nourishes our well-being today.

Click

The movement of makani that refreshes, motivates, and liberates growth.

Click

Pilina

Interwoven relationships that sustain and strengthen community.

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Piko

Continuity from kūpuna to keiki — all generations connected.

Click

ʻIwa

Guidance rooted in moʻolelo and cultural navigation.

Click

How It Works

Our Strategic Aims

Kamaehu O Ke Kaiāulu pursues three interconnected aims that guide our work toward culturally grounded systems change:

Culturally Grounded Measurement

Implement and assess culturally aligned measurement strategies that reflect Native Hawaiian understandings of youth well-being.

Program Effectiveness & Sustainability

Evaluate the effectiveness, fidelity, and sustainability of Kaiona programs in enhancing adolescent health outcomes.

Systems Change Collaboration

Strengthen coalition-building and strategic organizing to drive narrative and structural change within healthcare, education, and nonprofit sectors.

Culturally Grounded Measurement

Implement and assess culturally aligned measurement strategies that reflect Native Hawaiian understandings of youth well-being.

Program Effectiveness & Sustainability

Evaluate the effectiveness, fidelity, and sustainability of Kaiona programs in enhancing adolescent health outcomes.

Systems Change Collaboration

Strengthen coalition-building and strategic organizing to drive narrative and structural change within healthcare, education, and nonprofit sectors.

Navigate Your Path Forward

Chart your journey — rooted in ancestral wisdom, guided toward growth.

View Framework