ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS
A RESOLUTION
No. 2017 – 46
CONGRATULATING KUPU FOR TEN YEARS OF SERVICE
WHEREAS, Kupu is a Hawai‘i-based 501(c) (3) non-profit organizations that bridges three areas: young adults, environmental service learning, and job training/readiness; and
WHEREAS, Kupu’s mission is to empower youth to serve their communities through character-building, service-learning, and environmental stewardship opportunities that encourage pono (integrity) with Ke Akua (God), self, and others; and
WHEREAS, in 2007, Kupu established itself as a non-profit organization in Hawai‘i to run and expand the Hawaiʻi Youth Conservation Corps (HYCC) programs; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, Kupu expanded its program offerings with Sustainability Initiatives fellowships and HYCC Community Programs for under resourced youth; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, Kupu launched Environmental Education Leadership Program in partnership with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Education (DOE) schools; and
WHEREAS, Kupu’s programs provide positive, life-changing experiences for youth and young adults throughout Hawai‘i and the Pacific, and pre- and post-testing and program evaluations consistently show that Kupu program participants deepen their appreciation for Native Hawaiian culture and increase their knowledge of natural resource conservation issues in Hawai‘i; and
WHEREAS, a majority of its alumni go on to pursue higher education or careers in the green job sector, and many acquire jobs with Kupu partners including the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), and the O‘ahu Invasive Species Committee; and
WHEREAS, Kupu provides opportunities for participants to learn about conservation in a collaborative group setting, participants work full-time in teams over a two to five month period; and
WHEREAS, Kupu also provides youth and young adults team-based programs ideal for youth ages 16-24 who are eager to spend time outdoors participating in hands-on environmental restoration efforts with a variety organizations, while gaining job skills and learning about Hawai‘i’s rich natural and cultural resources; and
WHEREAS, Kupu also offers the opportunity to earn academic support in the form of college credits, educational stipends, and alternative high school classes that can lead to completion of a secondary education certificate earning college credit and/or an AmeriCorps education award; and
WHEREAS, kupukupu fern, Nephrolepis cordifolia, is a hardy fern indigenous to Hawai‘i, is one of the first plants to appear on lava fields after a lava flow, and is in the sword fern family and is also called sword fern, narrow sword fern, tuberous sword fern, fishbone fern, and in Hawaiian, ‘okupukupu and ni‘ani‘au; and
WHEREAS, Kupu celebrates its 10th year anniversary, having engaged more than 3,250 youth and young adults in environmental service-learning internships and professional fellowship.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at its 58th Annual Convention in Seattle, Washington, in the malama of ʻIkuwā and the rising of Māhealani, this 4th day of November 2017, congratulating Kupu for ten years of service; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that certified copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Chief Executive Officer of Kupu, Pearl Harbor Hawaiian Civic Club, as well as the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Chair of the State Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the State House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources & Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all County Mayors.
The undersigned hereby certifies that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted in the malama of ʻIkuwā and the rising of Māhealani on the 4th day of November 2017, at the 58th Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs in Seattle, Washington.
Annelle C. Amaral, President
