Kūhanauna KS Strategic Plan: Goal 3 – Hawaiian Identity

Never in the 133-year history of Kamehameha Schools has the native language, heritage, and culture of our founder been of such high priority and regard. Once considered a hindrance to the success and well-being of our lāhui, Hawaiian identity is now promoted and encouraged throughout KS with a recalibrated lens focused on lāhui vibrancy.

This is being achieved by nurturing Cultural Principles of Native Hawaiian Identity: ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian Language), Aloha ‘Āina (Love for Hawai‘i), Ho‘ōla Lāhui (Revitalizing the Hawaiian People), and Loina Kamehameha (KS Shared History, Customs, and Practices).

Strategic Plan 2020 is the first five-year phase of Kamehameha Schools’ Strategic Vision 2040, a vision of transformational change for our lāhui. At the center of SP2020 is KS’ Native Hawaiian Identity, commonly referred to as Goal 3. Goal 3 was intentionally placed in the center of the five SP2020 goals to indicate that Hawaiian identity should be central to all the work we do.

Strategic Vision 2040: Within a generation of 25 years, we see a thriving Lāhui where our learners achieve postsecondary educational success, enabling good life and career choices. We also envision that our learners will be grounded in Christian and Hawaiian values and will be leaders who contribute to their communities, both locally and globally.

Goal 3: Cultivate a strong Native Hawaiian identity to instill confidence and resiliency in our learners and to inform decision making and actions within our organization, for the improvement of the well-being of the lāhui.

SP2020 Action 5 included two major efforts directly tied to implementing Goal 3: Normalize ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i at Kamehameha Schools (launched FY15–16) and Integrate the Cultural Principles system-wide (launched FY16–17). The first effort resulted in the establishment of the ‘Ōlelo Kahua program, a first-of-its-kind professional development requirement for all KS staff around ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. The second resulted in more targeted efforts within specific Groups and Divisions throughout KS to strengthen their capacity for cultural change around the four Cultural Principles of Native Hawaiian Identity.

Kūhanauna: A Generation on the Rise – Strategic Plan 2015-2020
[Downloadable pdf of report]

Kūhanauna Strategy article
[Downloadable pdf of article]