The primary learning goal for this project is to provide students with the opportunity to begin to see themselves as an integral part of nature by implementing a culturally sustaining place based curriculum. Through this experience, students will gain a first-hand understanding that maintaining a reciprocal relationship with their ecosystem is critical for their survival in a world impacted by change. One of the most beneficial learning components of the project is that it is multi-generational. Our hope is that student participants will begin to understand that their kuleana extends beyond just the immediate interest of themselves and the current society, which, hopefully, will result in a dynamic shift in how we as a community think about and manage critical resources. By frontloading the course with interviews with local expertise the hope is to make the connection between the student’s experience and deeper traditional and non-traditional forms of knowledge. It is also of utmost importance to make this connection culturally and contextually relevant.

STEMS² Pillars: Aʻo, Makawalu, Moʻolelo, Sense of Place, Advocacy