Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 10, 1 October 2003 — Ke Au Hou youth group launches Hawaiian nationhood campaign [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ke Au Hou youth group launches Hawaiian nationhood campaign

By Sterling Kini Wong Anew Native Hawaiian youth coalition has launched a campaign that will reach out to 100,000 young Hawaiians, encouraging them to participate in the formation of a Native Hawaiian governing entity. Ke Au Hou, "The New Generation," is a Hawaiian youth coalition and a component of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' Hawaiian governance campaign, "Ho'oulu Eāhui Aloha," or "To Raise a Beloved Nation." The group's immediate goal is to administer a grassroots educational campaign that reaches 1,000 Native Hawaiian youths and their supporters. That core group will then branch out to 100,000 other Native Hawaiians, encouraging them to participate in building a native government. "We want to create an informed and educated group of youth voters who ean take a stance and make important and smart decisions," Ke Au Hou Public Information Coordinator 'īmaikalani Winchester said. At the Sept. 6 press conference announcing the launeh of Ke Au Hou, OHA Chairperson Haunani Apoliona said that it is especially uplifting in the light of recent political and legal challenges to know that the younger generation is willing to take a stand in advancing self-determination and social justice for Native Hawaiians. "These 'ōpio represent our future — it is for them, their keiki and their mo'opuna, not for us," Apoliona said. "It is critical that we take affirmative and proactive steps now to renew and strengthen the traditions, values and culture." Winchester, 23, said that with current lawsuits challenging programs that benefit Native Hawaiians, claiming that their policies are racially discriminatory,

"the best way to secure a prosperous future for Hawaiians is through selfgovernance and self-determination." Ke Au Hou will convene a nationbuilding/leadership conference on Jan. 17, 2004, in commemoration of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, to discuss the most effective way to involve Hawaiians in the governance process. Winchester, who is working on his master's degree in political science at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, said that onee the Hawaiian community determines the model for Hawaiian governance and the process for a creating a roll of Hawaiian voters, "we will be that group that will encourage and engage all Native Hawaiians to participate." Ke Au Hou Chairperson Kaui Nani'ole, 22, said the group will not espouse any specific sovereignty model, but instead provide the community with information on all sides of the sovereignty movement. "We support any organization that supports Hawaiians," Nani'ole said. In order to optimize its outreach potential, Ke Au Hou's objective is

to establish satellite working groups on eaeh island. The working groups will then go into the community to educate, assist and recruit future leaders and organizers, ages 18-30, at the elementary, intermediate, high school and college levels. The meetings will incorporate discussion sessions in whieh the group will also consider the eommunity's opinions and recommendations. In addition, the group will also conduct a variety of activities, such as concerts, lo'i and fishpond work days, and other community service projects, all of whieh will act as forums that complement the meetings and stimulate interest among youth to participate in Hawaiian governance. Ke Au Hou is currently funded through OHA, but the group is seeking grants, donations and support from private businesses and other organizations. The coalition will be conducting meetings on different islands throughout the coming months. For more information, eall 539-3580, or log on to gohawaiiannation.com ■

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Ke Au Hou Chair Kaui Nani'ole speaks at the group's launeh, as other charter members look on. Photo: Sterling Kini Wong