Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 8, 1 August 1988 — Youth Legislators lntroduce 31 Bills [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Youth Legislators lntroduce 31 Bills

Youth legislators attending the very first Office of Hawaiian Affairs 'Aha 'Opio O OHA conference June 20-24 introduced 31 bills, 18 by the House and 13 by the Senate. Some were defeated and those that survived could still be vetoed by their elected governor, Kepano Kekuewa of Konawaena High School. Others elected on adjournment day were Samuel Kekuaokalani, Kahuku High School, lieutenant governor; Ann Kaahanui, Maryknoll, counsellor; and JoDel Salcedo, St. Andrews Friory, attorney. Topics of bills covered a wide range of issues, including dealing with teenage pregnancies; easier acceptance for Hawaiian youths to Kamehameha; mediation training programs for young adults; abolishing the 2.0 grade point average during spring athletics; geothermal and other natural resources; internship program for OHA; stop Kaho'olawe bombing; preservation of historic sites; appropriating money for Ka'u Spaceport; improved housing development; stricter eonsequences for drinking and driving and others. To dispel possible criticism adults may have implanted these ideas in the students, OHA Education Officer Rona Rodenhurst, who eame up with the idea of a youth conference, was quick to explain that the adults had nothing to do with any of the legislation. There were closed door sessions whieh the youths called caucuses; killing of eaeh other's bills; and reconsiderations. They also visited 'Iolani Palaee, Royal Mausoleum at Mauna 'Ala, Queen Emma Summer Palaee, Bishop Museum and a trip to West Beach to leam how historic sites ean be preserved while development is in progress. Youth legislators also dressed appropriately for the legislative chambers with suits and jackets. Although neckties were not required, many wore them. Adjournment day on June 24 was an emotional one with everyone taking the microphone unable to hold back tears as they tried to relate their experiences about the conference and the hospitality they received.

Staying with the students throughout their four nights at Hale Aloha were adult leaders Melvin Kauila Clark and Tony Soller who took vacation time from their fulltime employment to devote to the conference. Both, incidentally, were among unsuccessful OHA candidates in the 1986 eleehon. They were also very visible at the state capitol chambers where the sessions took plaee, doing any chore whieh needed to be done. Another very visible worker was Walter P. Kahiwa Jr., Honaunau Elementary School teacher in Kona who handled master of ceremonies duties and announcements plus a myriad of other jobs in concert with Clark, Soller and other volunteers. He became affectionately known to the students as "Unele Boy." In fact, it was the youngsters themselves who gave him the name. Kahiwa, who taught 10 years at Kamehameha from where he graduated in 1966 before hooking up with the State Department of Education, was born and raised in the fishing village of Miloli'i and attended Miloli'i, Napo'o[X)'o and Hookena Schools before going to the Kapalama Heights campus. He got his education degree from UH in 1971 and his Master's from the University of Washington in Seattle. At Honaunau, Kahiwa teaches 6th, 7th and 8th grade English with one period of Hawaiian studies. He was a speech teacher at Kamehameha. Kahiwa also had high words of praise for this first 'Aha 'Opio. "They performed far beyond our expectation. They progressed very fast and their level of maturity is mueh greater than the average high schooler," he said and noted these were not the top leaders in their schools.

Senate President Colleen L. Apo takes note as House Speaker Brian Te'o gives an answerto question posed by one of the youth legislators.

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Jaynelle Kekona of Lahainaluna is all set for deliberations.