Pacific Voices Performance March 2022
Pre-pandemic the Pacific Voices program performed chants and storytelling at sites across the Island of O’ahu. In 2021, the keiki performed at the Celebrate Micronesia Festival at the Bishop Museum. This first public performance of 2022 shown here took place at the Kalihi Elementary Covered Court.
Connecting our keiki with their Pacific Island heritage instills a sense of pride so important for youth as they struggle with the challenges of being new immigrants facing pressures to assimilate.
Many mainstream health programs and interventions do not effectively serve Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders because they are not informed by cultural context and worldview. The definition of health in the Pacific is broad, collective, holistic, spiritual, and linked to cultural identity. For this reason, KKV offers a growing array of culturally responsive programs such as Pacific Voices.
The Pacific Voices youth program at Kalihi Elementary serves keiki ages 5 to 11, many of whom are just starting school for the first time. We opened the new program site a year ago to expand capacity beyond the original classroom at Kuhio Park Towers, where Pacific Voices continues to thrive. At Kalihi Elementary, KKV engages keiki from Kalihi Valley Homes and other areas of Kalihi, places within walking distance to and from school and home. The youth come after school for afternoons of fun and education. Pacific Voices frames learning in the context of cultural storytelling, connecting the keiki with their Pacific Island heritage as they gain reading and language skills, and get help with homework. The keiki regularly do arts and traditional Pacific Islander crafts and take pride in sharing what they learn through public performances.
Currently there are 24 keiki registered for Pacific Voices at Kalihi Elementary. It is a highly diverse group that is approximately 60% Chuukese, 30% Filipino, and 10% others including Marshallese.
Almost all of the parents and a range of family members of different ages attended the first public performance.
KKV’s Pacific Voices programs have a strong ripple effect, impacting siblings and family members who share in the activities. Family members, who are often new migrants to Hawaii, are encouraged to reach out to KKV’s Pacific Voices staff for various kinds of in language support, whether it be help for the kids at school, medical assistance, or food or rental assistance. KKV’s Youth Services staff are additionally trained as community health workers and navigators who can bridge cultural and systemic barriers for Kalihi families. This has been critical during the COVID pandemic that continues to significantly impact KKV’s patients.
