$300K awarded for Hawaiian language preschools
$300K awarded for Hawaiian language preschools
The Administration for Native Americans has awarded the Aha Punana Leo Hawaiian language nest preschools a $300,000 grant for the first year of a three-year grant project. The project will enhance and strengthen Punana Leo’s quality and impact in the Native Hawaiian community through increasing language proficiency and the professional capabilities of its staff.
The grant will be used for historical research, the development of teacher guides and staff training at the annual weeklong Aha Nuukia Summer Intensive training and through semi-annual meetings — the only professional development and early childhood education training conducted entirely in Hawaiian.
Aha PUnana Leo operates 11 preschools on five islands, two infant and toddler programs, and works in partnership with four charter Hawaiian medium K-12 sites on four islands.
Scholars program seeks applicants
In 2015, post-graduate and research degree students from Pacific Island countries and their neighbors will again have an opportunity to make their voices heard on the most pressing traditional and nontraditional security issues facing the region. The call for applications for the second edition of the Pacific Islands Society’s Security Scholars Program is now open.
Selected scholars will be asked to contribute to the ongoing debate of international security by producing regular articles and opinion pieces on directed issues for publication through the society’s Horizons and Security Scholars commentary series, as well as third-party media outlets.
Selected scholars will also conduct background and on-the-record interviews with senior diplomats, business leaders, politicians, academics and community leaders in the region and beyond. A selection of the on-the-record interviews will then be published as a stand-alone question-and-answer series through the society’s Interviews publication.
Throughout the program, scholars will be provided mentorship from the staff at the Pacific Islands Society. They will also be offered media training and marketing and communications support by the society’s Marketing and Communications Department. This will prepare the scholars for public speaking and social media engagements.
The Pacific Islands Society is now accepting applications for its 2015 Security Scholars Program from the following countries, territories, prefectures and states: Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Nauru, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Niue, Republic of Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, American Samoa, Tokelau, Guam, Timor-Leste, Wallis and Futuna, Hawaii, Okinawa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Interested candidates should send an expression of interest, C.V., and two recommendations to staff@pacificislandssociety.org. When submitting, paste the requested items in the body of the email rather than as attached documents. Applications will remain open until Oct. 30 or until the five scholars are selected for the program.
For more information, visit pacificislandssociety.org.
Hawaii Meth Project announces art contest
The Hawaii Meth Project has announced its 2014 “Break the Ice” Art Contest, aimed at communicating the risks of methamphetamine through art and empowering Hawaii’s youth to lead a drug-free lifestyle.
Hawaii students in grades seven through 12 are eligible to enter during the submission period, which ends at 5 p.m. Oct. 20. The contest is endorsed by the organization’s Teen Advisory Council, a group of 22 public and private high school students who spread awareness about the risks of methamphetamine use in their schools and communities.
Prospective entrants should visit hawaiimethproject.org or methproject.org and choose one of more than 350 pieces of content as direct inspiration for their artwork, which may include interactive facts, personal stories, information from experts and more. Using these tools, teens can create a visual work of art in any style and medium, incorporating a clear anti-meth theme.
Entries must be wholly original, unpublished artwork and cannot incorporate or include anything that would violate copyright or trademark law of any third party. Specific rules and guidelines are available at facebook.com/hawaiimethproject.
Categories for the contest include:
— Traditional and digital art (up to $300 prize for the top entries in two divisions — grades 7 to 9 and 10 to 12)
— Sticker design (winner receives $100 prize)
In addition, there will be a People’s Choice Award with a $100 prize for the entry that receives the most “likes” on Facebook. The People’s Choice Award voting period begins Oct. 23 on the Facebook page.