ʻAi me ka Iʻa Workshop Series

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Monday, May 11th, 2026 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Prepare laulau stew and learn about freeze-drying technologies for food preservation. Participants will support the Kaukau for Keiki program by preparing meals for young students who experience food insecurity during summer when schools are not in session.  

Sunday, May 17th, 2026 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Workshop attendees will learn some basics about the practice of hula and the foundational plants that are important to hula practitioners, as well as how to incorporate native plants and culturally important plants into home and garden landscapes in Puna.

Monday, June 15th - Saturday, June 27th, 2026

This annual summer program is an immersive educational program for two weeks focused on Native Hawaiian youth developing skills, knowledge and connections to Hawaiian lifeways and practices such as hula, oli, mahi'ai, lawai'a, lua, mālama 'āina and more.  

Tuesday, July 14th, 2026 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

This workshop teaches community members about the basics of  CPR, First Aid and use of an AED so they feel more equipped living in rural areas and in case of emergencies. Participants will walk away with a  certification from the American Red Cross' Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED program. 

Wednesday, July 15th, 2026 from 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm

This workshop will concentrate on the place-based learning and 'āina of the ahupua'a of Kaimū and participants will learn about the area's community stewardship model, historic lava flows, the evolution of land from the kānāwai of Pele to the emergence of Hi'iaka and the potential for growth, and the nearby villages and sites of Kalapana which today only exist in songs, memories and stories about this area. 

Thursday, August 6th - Friday, August 7th, 2026

This educational offering spans two days and will gather together Native Hawaiian practitioners within nonprofit, university, health and social work settings to learn from the environment and communities of Puna through community cultural alignment and healing workshops.

Date TBD

Explore lunar-based agriculture and practices. Learn about the Hawaiian moon phases and how each phase relates to agriculture and mālama 'āina.

Date TBD

Learn about everyday applicable soil biology and techniques to build healthy soil at home and in your community during the first workshop. Continue to develop knowledge on soil biology, and expand understanding with mulching, composting, and other techniques for building raised garden beds in volcanic landscapes in the second workshop.

Date TBD

Part Two involves a journey to Waipiʻo to see the water-based loʻi kalo system, participate on a farm, and take kalo plant starts (huli) home.

Date TBD

Become proficient at using freeze-drying technologies and equipment, and learn about other food preservation techniques including dehydrating, canning, and salting to increase household supplies for emergencies and times of economic uncertainty. 

Date TBD

Part one teaches the significance of Hāloa, examines a chant, and explores dry-land kalo cultivation methods. Part Two involves a journey to Waipiʻo to see the water-based loʻi kalo system, participate on a farm, and take kalo plant starts (huli) home.

Date TBD

Participants prepare dishes using culturally significant foods grown at farm sites and home gardens, and learn how to build an imu during the first workshop. The community and our partners are invited to celebrate the knowledge learned by sharing foods they have grown, cooked, or processed using the methods and techniques from prior workshops as the close to this series.