Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 2020 — Kinai 'Eha: Extinguishing Pain Through Hard Work [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kinai 'Eha: Extinguishing Pain Through Hard Work

Kinai 'Eha haumōna practice their building skills by constructing a traditional style hale for tours and classes on the grounds of the Mission Houses Museum in downtown Honolulu. ■ Photos: Courtesy

By Puanani Fernandez-Akamine |t was fall 2016. Josiah 'Ākau had responded to a shout out to kōkua a friend in Waimānalo. They needed to add a wheelchair ramp to their home so they could bring their grandfather home from the hospital. Without a ramp to get papa safely into the home, the hospital would have to release him to hospice. But when 'Ākau arrived at the house, he found he was the only person who had shown up to help. Disappointed but not discouraged, 'Ākau, who has a background in construction, went to work. As he was toiling in the front yard of the home, some teenaged boys wandered over to watch him. When 'Ākau saw the boys, he called out to them and asked if they could kōkua. The boys' response? They wanted to know how mueh he was getting paid. 'Ākau's initial reaction was anger. He was not being paid to build the ramp, he was just helping a family in need. It disturbed him that the boys were unwilling to kōkua an elderly neighbor without being paid. And he was upset that their parents hadn't taught them better. But after his anger subsided, 'Ākau had an epiphany. He thought, maybe they don't help because they don't know how. "When you ask kids to jump in on a volleyball or basketball game, if they know how to play, they're going to jump in," 'Ākau reflected. "But if they don't how to play,

then they criticize it or condemn it or make an excuse not to do it." 'Ākau quickly saw a cultural connection and practical application. "Maybe they just need someone to help them connect with their kūpuna; not just with family get-togethers, but with hana (work). We teach our keiki hula, the language and music. These are all beautiful ways to keep our culture going, but where ean we incorporate hana to 'manatize' our strengths?" He was frustrated by a western educational system that

does not do enough to emphasize hard work and mālama, and troubled to witness the pain and hopelessness that haunts so many of our youth. He saw an opportunity to change the attitudes and hearts of young people and to break the cycle of hurt, while teaching them valuable life and work skills they ean use to earn a living. This seed of an idea, to create a nonprofit that would become a source of training for young Hawaiians, found purchase in rich soil when 'Ākau founded Kinai 'Eha in March 2017. Kinai 'Eha means to "extinguish pain." 'Ākau's vision is to provide Hawaiian youth who have slipped through the cracks with a sense of purpose, identity, empowerment and cultural connection. The program embraces youth who society has given up on - some are homeless, estranged from their 'ohana, formerly incarcerated or recovering from addiction - and helps them restore pono to their lives. Because so many of the students eome from backgrounds of extreme hardship, program funds are also used meet some of their basic needs like food and transportation. And when funding runs out, 'Ākau steps in, using his personal resources including opening his home to youth who need a safe plaee to live. The program provides workforce training with construction skills as its foundation. But more than that, it is a "life training" program. "Some kids don't need teachers as mueh as they need coaches or life counselors," shared 'Ākau who believes that work provides people with purpose and direction. And because there is always pain in this life, we need to keep working to extinguish that pain and move forward. That is another huge part of Kinai 'Eha's program: training its students to extinguish the pain in their own lives and beyond that, teaching them how to make pono choices that will not cause pain in the lives of others. 'Ākau' s strategy for teaching useful, practical construction skills to the youth at Kinai 'Eha is simple - it gives them value. "Onee they have valuable skills, they become significant in our society; they go from zeroes to heroes," said 'Ākau emotionally. A self-described "Professional Kanaka," 'Ākau has been a U.S. Army engineer, a general contractor and is now a firefighter. He has served on the Kailua Neighborhood Board and coached a variety of community sports including baseball, soccer, football and paddling. In some ways Kinai 'Eha is the natural overflow of 'Ākau's life of community service and volunteering. Initially, Kinai 'Eha was self-funded by 'Ākau and existed solely on the strength of his passion to make a difference for Hawaiian youth. But then Kamehameha Schools' Strategy and Innovation division got wind of the program, and since then has become Kinai 'Eha' s primary source of funding. 'Ākau has also formed a partnership with the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility whieh has allowed Kinai 'Eha to establish a base for its program and training classes on their property. Now three years in, Kinai 'Eha has helped more than 40 youth, primarily young men, move beyond their trauma, find a sense of purpose, obtain their GEDs and acquire marketable skills that will enable them to live good and productive lives. And while there may be similar programs available, Kinai SEE KINAI 'EHA ON PAGE 21

KINAI 'EHA Continued from page 16 'Eha provides a distinctive and unique experience for its students. "Ours is a 100% organic homegrown program," 'Ākau shared. More of an 'ohana than a school or training program, Kinai 'Eha utilizes a "caste" system of sorts that is based on one's efforts and contributions rather than on one's birthright. The more students eontribute, the more status they have within the program because their contributions of labor and kōkua are, by extension, contributions to the lāhui.

New students in the program begin at the "Kōkua" level and remain there for ten working days. During this phase the focus is on "PAU-Hana" - Punctuality, Attendance, Uniform plus Work. A student who meets expectations for nine days in a row but fails on the tenth, starts from the beginning again. "It's like a kapu system in a real world scenario," said 'Ākau. Successful completion of the Kōkua level allows students to move to phase two - "Mālama " - where the real work begins. At this level students build basic skills in integrated hands-on classrooms as they work towards phase three, the "Koa" level, where training becomes more focused on the student's individual career goals. 'Ākau has developed creative, proprietary formulas for teaching his students life skills; formulas that incorporate acronyms or numeric systems that make them easy to remember. One example is the D+D=YL equation: Decision + Decision = Your Life. "There are negative 'Ds' and positive 'Ds.' We teach them how to make good decisions," said 'Ākau. A concept that 'Ākau has coined the "Universal Language

of Expression" teaches students that a person's facial expressions and body language never lie; "pain = negative decision = hurt" while "pleasure = positive decision = healing." Another example is the "40+56+72=168 Hana System" whieh sets minimum standards for work in their lives in an effort to develop the students' work ethic. "There are 168 hours in eaeh week," 'Ākau explained. "40 hours should be the minimum a kanaka works. 56 hours is doctor recommended sleeping time, leaving 72 hours to relax and do whatever you want. We sleep more than we work, so if we aren't working at least 40 hours a week at a job, then we need to go out and volunteer our time to help others." Aloha for their students is the true foundation for the program and the key to Kinai 'Eha's success. The ultimate goal is to help their students achieve valuesfocused and purpose-driven lives. "When students eome to us, we start with who they are," said 'Ākau. "We don't tell them what is best for them, we help them to figure out what is best for them and to develop their putpose." But 'Ākau has an even bigger vision. He would eventually like to replicate or franchise the program. He also sees the need for a unified effort by likeminded organizations and entities. "We need a cause we ean all stand behind," 'Ākau emphasized. "And we need pu'uhonua - safe places for our people." Returning to the original inspiration for Kinai 'Eha, the desire to connect keiki with kūpuna, 'Ākau believes that training youth, while helping kūpuna in practical ways through building projects, is a win for everyone. "If you want to know the state of a nahon, look at how they treat their most vulnerable," said 'Ākau. "Our lāhui cannot leave people behind. We united for the Mauna. Now we need to do it for our kids." ■

"Aia ke ola i ka hana; Life is labor." Building a wheelchair ramp for a kupuna in Waimōnalo,- Photo: Courtesy

Kinai 'Eha founder Josiah 'Akau.