Preparing youth to tackle Hawaii's biggest challenges
Nalukai Academy offers programs for Hawaiʻi high school students to solve problems and create opportunities in their communities.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
At Nalukai, students don't just identify and learn about Hawaii's challenges - they work on solving them. Through our programs, you'll tackle real problems in your community like housing, local food systems, economic opportunity.
We teach you an entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving. You'll learn to identify problems that matter to you, develop and test solutions, build prototypes, and iterate based on feedback. This isn't classroom theory - it's hands-on work on challenges that affect your community today.
Our programs range from intensive 10-day Summer boarding experiences where you choose your own problem to solve, to focused 1-day workshops exploring specific challenges in your local area. All programs connect you with expert mentors from both industry and Hawaiian cultural practice, and are 100% free.
Whether you're interested in policy solutions, starting a business, or community organizing - you'll learn the frameworks to turn ideas into action.
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE CREATED
Since 2016, Nalukai students have developed over 100 solutions to Hawaii's challenges. Here are three recent examples:
Hale Kōkua – Keeping Native Hawaiian Families in Hawaiʻi
With 28,000 families on the DHHL waitlist and three out of ten homeless identifying as Native Hawaiian, Team Hale Kōkua created a rent subsidy organization to address the immediate crisis. Their solution provides direct financial support to low-income Native Hawaiian families facing eviction, funding the gap between what families can afford and actual rent costs. Through community events, grants, and donations, they aim to keep families rooted in Hawaiʻi while preserving culture and community connections.
Puaʻa – Protecting Native Species Through Community Action
Hawaiʻi's 400,000 feral pigs destroy habitats, creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry avian malaria - contributing to the near-extinction of culturally significant native birds. Team Puaʻa built a mobile app connecting civilians who spot pigs with licensed hunters who can respond. The platform addresses multiple problems: controlling the feral pig population, supporting local hunters, fighting food insecurity by distributing meat to families, and protecting native species and cultural practices.
Hina Ea – Expanding Access to Women's Healthcare
When Maui's only private obstetrics practice closed, over 118,000 women and girls lost access to reproductive healthcare. Team Hina Ea created a nonprofit platform connecting donors with women who need financial assistance for travel, lodging, and healthcare procedures on Oahu. Within days of launching, they secured their first business partnership and reached 1,200 people on social media, demonstrating immediate community need for their solution.
OUR PROGRAMS
Nalukai offers programs across Hawai’i from intensive 10-day summer boarding experiences to focused 1-day workshops. All programs are 100% free and grounded in Native Hawaiian values and place-based learning. Students work with mentors from both industry and cultural practice, connecting entrepreneurial problem-solving with Hawaii's unique challenges and traditions.
SUMMER PROGRAM
The Nalukai Academy Summer Camp is a tuition-free, 10-day intensive boarding program for Hawai’i high school students from around the State to explore business and entrepreneurship strategies driven by cultural values and social impact. Nalukai students are called Founders because we believe you aren’t “becoming” an entrepreneur – you already are one.
SPRING PROGRAM
During 6-day, in-person camps held as daily sessions during DOE Fall and Spring breaks, students will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing our island and collaborate with others to develop products, services, and other solutions to address them.
Our regional programs highlight location-based education and are exclusive to applicants from select Hawai’i Island high schools.
MOKU DESIGN CHALLENGE
Our signature program is a free, 10-day boarding program offered free of charge to Hawaiʻi high school students that provides immersive training in social, cultural and commercial entrepreneurship.
Each student will receive guidance from industry experts, innovative educators and cultural practitioners to ideate, develop and pitch ventures of their own creation. Along the way they'll step into new leadership roles, build lasting connections and learn how to combine passion, rigor, and technical ability to address the challenges our Hawaiʻi communities face.
ALUMNI NETWORK
Our Alumni and College Success programs remain engaged with the next generation of Hawaiʻi changemakers throughout their academic and professional careers with college prep, networking and work-based learning opportunities at organizations driving sustainable development in our community.
Find out more about our offerings and opportunities for aspiring Hawaiʻi youth here.
FALL PROGRAM
During 6-day, in-person camps held as daily sessions during DOE Fall and Spring breaks, students will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing our island and collaborate with others to develop products, services, and other solutions to address them.
Our regional programs highlight location-based education and are exclusive to applicants from select Hawai’i Island high schools.
ALUMNUS TESTIMONIAL
Check out this video to hear from 2024 Nalukai Founder Marlon Utrera Jr. about his experience at Nalukai Academy Summer!
