Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 4, 1 April 2022 — Ho'āmana: Igniting the Mana of our Kamali'i [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ho'āmana: Igniting the Mana of our Kamali'i

V E 'ONIPA'A KAKOU V ^ BE STEADFAST *

By Leialoha Benson and Nikki Roimata Mozo Ho'āmana means to turn on, to ignite mana. Lili'uokalani Trust (LT) has created the Ho'āmana program to help kamali'i realize, ignite, and grow their mana. Ho'āmana is anchored in the belief that all kamali'i possess strengths, promise, and the potential to flourish. Helping Native Hawaiian youth feel grounded in who they are and where they eome from, and understand the relationships and connections between themselves, others, and the world provides them with a core foundation they need to grow into thriving, contributing adults. We support kamali'i in their journey to ea (life, breath, self-determination) by engaging in the process of awakening the spiritual self to understand pilina (relationship) and kuleana. It is a belief that pono is inherent in every person and is a light that emanates from one's mana. Igniting this mana produces the power and goodness of every person to realize their greatest potential and joy. This cultural, spiritual, and relation-ship-based approach centers around engaging youth in skill building and reflective practices. These skills and practices help kamali'i move from a plaee of hurt to healing, and ffom healing to personal growth.

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Ho'āmana integrates traditional Hawaiian practices and values with the tenets of trauma-informed care and positive youth development. In the program, kamali'i embrace a growth mindset, reframe their past, and develop their future selves. Their vision and goals evolve, giving them motivation and hope, whieh positively impacts their current decisions and behaviors. When hope is seeded, and identity and confidence strengthened, the individual and collective mana of our youth expands. They are the leaders who will connect the current generation to our ancestors and will help to guide the future generations. As exemplified by our ali'i, one must look to the past to positively impact our future. Queen Lili'uokalani was constantly championing opportunities and presentation of youth educational, creative, and community efforts. She was steadfast in her commitment to aid youth toward educational pursuits, often paying for lodging and tuition costs. She could be found serving as a guest judge at a variety of youth performing arts hō'ike. The Queen also believed in youth skill-building and contribution to their community, as she was an initial sponsor of the Girl Scouts program in Hawai'i. The Ho'āmana program continues the commitment of Queen Lili'uokalani by coaching kamali'i on their path to ea. ■ Leialoha Benson and Nikki Roimata Mozo work with Lili'uokalani Trust ( LT ) as members of the Program Design team. Both have their foundations in social work and endeavor to support programs topositively itnpact all kamali'i. In addition to moving forward the work of LT, Leialoha is influencing the next generation ofsocial workers by serving as a School of Social Work adjunct professor at BYU-Hawai'i. Roimata has been influential as a Life Coach focusing on transforming trauma, especially for those who have experienced griefand loss. She produced the documentary, "Transcend: The Jon Mozo Story."