Kokua Earth Action Projects, Keiki Kokua Festival
The Kokua Hawai’i Foundation has some exciting news for you! In celebration of the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation and Kokua Festival’s 5th anniversary, we’ve added a unique program that could include your class or school. We are inviting Hawai’i elementary schools, grades K-6, to start or take part in a Kokua Earth Action Project. Groups submitting outstanding Kokua Earth Action Project proposals will be invited to participate in Keiki Kokua Festival in April 2008. All completed projects will be honored and showcased on our website.
What is a Kokua Earth Action Project? An Earth Action Project is an environmental service learning initiative aimed at taking care of our islands and encouraging long-lasting change in your classrooms, schools or community. Some project ideas include: instituting a program to compost lunch waste at school, starting an on-campus garden, setting up a recycling or water catchment program, adopting a stream or beach and more. If your school has a copy of The Complete Guide to Service Learning by Catheryn Berger Kaye, it may help your group to choose which issue or concern they would like to address with your earth action project.
How to Participate: We invite your class or school group can join this call to action. Start by choosing an Earth Action Project and create a plan for how you’ll carry it out. Follow the proposal instructions and submit your group’s proposal to the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation at the address below. Many projects may already be in place and if this is the case with your group, please describe what you are doing in the appropriate areas of the application. Completed proposal applications must be submitted and postmarked by December 15, 2007.
Although proposals are due December 15, 2007, Kokua Earth Action Projects may already be in progress. After all proposals have been collected, our committee will review each submission and send out confirmation emails to each group on how to document your projects.
Mini-grants Available for KEAP Supplies: A small number of mini-grants are available to public school groups (grades K-6) submitting proposals. These mini-grants shall not exceed $200 and can be used to purchase supplies to carry out Kokua Earth Action Project initiatives. Please contact for more information.
Recognizing Earth Action Projects, Keiki Kokua Festival: An important aspect of the Kokua Earth Action Project program is recognizing student achievements and efforts to malama our islands. To reward and encourage such projects, Kokua Hawai’i Foundation will be showcasing all completed projects on our website. We will be asking participating groups to submit photos, videos, and instructions for how other school groups can replicate these projects in their communities.
Outstanding proposals will be invited to attend the Keiki Kokua Festival. This fun event will include entertainment by Jack Johnson and other Kokua Festival artists, educational skits, videos and exchanges from participating KEAP school groups and more. Due to the seating limitations at the venue, we will not be able to invite all KEAP groups to attend. The number and size of each group submitting proposals will determine how many groups can be invited. Those proposals showing the most potential to actively involve students in implementing projects that are both educational and helpful to our environment will be given first priority for invitations.
Invitation notices for Keiki Kokua Festival will be sent in January 2008 in order for schools to make field trip arrangements. We ask that projects be completed or well underway by March 2008, so that school groups can document their progress for sharing on the web and at Keiki Kokua Festival.