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Hawaiʻi Positive Engagement Project (H-PEP): SPARK Aloha!

Project Dates

2021 – 2025

Funding Source

US Department of Education Native Hawaiian Education Program

About

The Hawaiʻi Positive Engagement Project’s (H-PEP) mission is to innovatively address Native Hawaiian parent, educator, and student needs that have been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Goal 1: Address Native Hawaiian educator and parent toxic stress resulting from the pandemic so that they are the most effective when working with and parenting Native Hawaiian students/children.

Goal 2: Build Native Hawaiian student literacy through the use of the Storytelling for the Home Enrichment of Language and Literacy Skills (SHELLS) model, an experiential bookmaking model that encourages positive parent-child engagement.

Goal 3: Conduct research on the current status and needs of Native Hawaiian educators and parents

Principal Investigator

Naomi Rombaoa Tanaka

Associate Specialist

Contact

(808) 956-3433

nrombaoa@hawaii.edu

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Team

Jaime Abrazado

H-PEP Well-being Coordinator

Aloha mai kākou. My name is Jaime Abrazado. It is nice to meet you all virtually. As the H-PEP Well-being Coordinator, my kuleana is to organize our Well-being Cohorts for Hawaiʻi educators and parents. It is my passion to serve this community and SPARK Aloha in the way I show up in the world. I was born and raised in Waipahu and spent most of my earlier years as a early childhood educator. Now, I get to support the important work that educators and parents do everyday and do this meaningful and whole-hearted work with H-PEP!

Contact

(808) 956-3369

jaimema@hawaii.edu

Full profile

Justice Kanaulu

Education Specialist- Parent Hui & Community Bookmaking Coordinator

Justice Kanaulu received his B.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, with a specialization in Science. His experience includes working as a public school teacher on the island of Oahu. Justice is an Education Specialist with the Hawai‘i Positive Engagement Project (H-PEP): SPARK Aloha! He leads the Parent Hui, helping to spark positive engagement between parents and their keiki. Justice also leads experiential bookmaking workshops for the community using our SHELLS+ model. SHELLS stands for Storytelling for the Home Enrichment of Language and Literacy Skills. Justice also collaborates and assists with H-PEP’s Well-being Cohorts supporting Educators…

Contact

(808) 956-3369

jkanaulu@hawaii.edu

Full profile