Learning Through Interests

Learning Through Interests/Internships (LTI) were developed by Big Picture Learning, a pioneer in making workplace learning a center of school programs and curriculum designs. Big Picture Learning found LTI programs to be particularly effective for students who have had limited success in traditional schools.

Internships and Mentorships

Students gain invaluable real-world experiences through internships and mentorships with community organizations, businesses, and kūpuna (elders, experts). Learning through interests and internships provides students with opportunities to deepen and apply their learning outside of school, in settings where they can observe and work with community and workplace mentors to address authentic issues and problems. In the Big Picture Learning network, this interdisciplinary project-based learning that gives back to students’ communities has been demonstrated to develop strong critical thinking skills.

Every student will have an opportunity to learn valuable skills while doing positive work in and for their communities. They will be held accountable for the responsibilities of working on a community project or within the workplace (showing up on time, being professional, appropriate dress and language, etc.), thereby preparing students for college and other meaningful post-secondary pathways. Internships enable students to learn in professional settings and explore diverse career cultures within their community, aligning with our core value of “Aloha i ke Ao.”

Real-World Work Experience

At Namahana, middle school students will prepare for the internship experience through field studies. High school students pursue various internships with organizations or businesses in their area(s) of interest, mentored by an expert in the field. Unlike more traditional approaches that emphasize theoretical learning, Namahana students will graduate with real-world work experience that directly informs the professional future they may want to pursue. These internships will help students to identify potential career paths and passions as they transition from high school to higher education or directly into the work force.

Our Community Partners

Due to the strength of the community engagement process and community relationships with Namahana School’s leadership, the following organizations have already committed to partner with us as field research, mentoring, internship and other support sites. As the school grows, we look forward to inviting more organizations into this network of mentors and partners. If you would like to learn more about becoming a mentor for Namahana School high school students, please click the button below.

Become a Mentor

  • ʻĀina Ho’okupu O Kīlauea, also known as the Kīlauea Community Agricultural Center, works to contribute to island food security and a healthy, balanced local agricultural economy. A relationship with Namahana will focus on internships, agricultural projects, and a farm lunch program partner. Yoshito L’Hote, AHK’s Executive Director, is a member of the Namahana’s Agricultural Advisory Committee.

  • Anaina Hou is a 38-acre nonprofit organization whose multi-use campus adjacent to the future school site hosts cultural events, operates a small business and hosts a weekly farmers’ market and offers walking trails and playgrounds.

  • Common Ground is a commercial venture in Kīlauea that invests in a circular economy of food and beverage businesses, developing a media and policy platform, demonstrating regenerative farming practices, hosting events and providing distribution channels for local products. Common Ground will serve as a future internship site for Namahana students.

  • Hui Makaʻainana o Makana is a nonprofit organization dedicated to perpetuating and teaching the skills, knowledge, and practices of kūpuna through restoration, care, and protection of natural and cultural resources in Hāʻena. The Hui will serve as a site for ʻāina-based projects, field studies and internships.

  • Hanalei Canoe Club has a strong youth program whose mission is to “provide our community, young and old alike, with the opportunity to perpetuate the culture and art of Hawaiian canoe paddling.” The club will offer a competitive outrigger canoe paddling extracurricular program for students. Internships may also be available with an emphasis on leadership.

  • The Hanalei Hawaiian Civic Club’s mission is to advocate on behalf of the culture, health, economic development, educatHanalei Hawaiian Civic Clubion and social welfare of the Hawaiian people. Opportunities to develop events, projects, and internships in alignment with their mission will be available to students.

  • Hanalei Initiative will offer opportunities for project-based learning focused on place-based solutions for safe streets and watershed issues, providing students with a perspective on local policy.

  • Kauaʻi Community College will offer Running Start, Early College, and dual enrollment courses to provide post-secondary opportunities to Namahana students.

  • A stone’s throw from Namahana School, the Kauai North Shore Animal clinic is a full-service mixed animal practice. They provide high level veterinary care island-wide. For prospective interns, there’s an opportunity to obtain a veterinary assistant certification.Item description

  • Kauaʻi North Shore Community Foundation will continue to provide administrative and fundraising support as well as offer internship opportunities related to any one of their varied projects and/or in nonprofit administration.

  • Kauaʻi North Shore Lions Club raises funds for scholarships and will explore establishing a LEO club within the school that cultivates an ethic of community service.

  • Kauaʻi Planning & Action Alliance’s Keiki to Career program uses data to guide actions and measure success to create better futures for Kauaʻi youth. KPAA will partner with Namahana School to develop social and emotional learning opportunities for Namahana students.

  • Limahuli Garden and Preserve will serve as a “living laboratory” for students to learn about eco-sustainability and engage in place-based education by learning about the special history and scientific value of the Limahuli Valley, which has been cultivated for more than a millennium and is home to dozens of endangered plants and birds found nowhere else on earth.

  • The North Shore Library at Princeville, part of the Hawaii State Library System, has committed to hosting Namahana classes on a rotating basis and serving as a supplementary resource for the school’s curriculum and research needs. The library would also provide an accessible, knowledgeable, and reliable space for after-school study or independent research and learning.

  • Regenerations International Botanical Garden’s Kauaʻi Food Forest (RBG) has developed a one-of-a-kind agroforestry demonstration, education, and research site called the Kauaʻi Food Forest, a 2.5 acre agroecosystem located on land directly adjacent to the Namahana school site. RBG will work in partnership with Namahana School to provide mentorship and hands-on training to students and serve as a field study and internship site. Paul Massey, President of RBG, is a member of the Namahana’s Agriculture Advisory Committee.

  • Retro-Farms is a Kauaʻi nonprofit focused on environmental education that will offer students an agricultural intern program geared toward providing farm experiences and job opportunities.

  • Waipā Foundation practices balanced stewardship of its rich natural resources, maximizing health and productivity, and advancing sustainability. Its learning center teaches, shares, and inspires Hawaiian values and ahupuaʻa practices. It will offer students the chance to explore how native Hawaiian values and practices apply to modern life through programs, Waipā Foundation workshops, internships, and group visits that feature transformative, hands-on learning. Stacey Sproat, Waipā’s Executive Director, is a member of Namahana’s Agricultural Advisory Committee.