HILO — UH Hilo's ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi received a $7,500 gift from the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation and its subsidiary Matson Navigation Company in support of the navigation and wayfinding skills workshop at ʻImiloa focused on training crew members of Hawaiʻi's voyaging community.
The 4th annual crew training workshops, named ʻImi Naʻauao, focused its primary activities at ʻImiloa and moved to oceanside venues for observation and coastal sailing. Chad "Kalepa" Baybayan, master wayfinder and ʻImiloa Navigator-in-Residence, served as the program's lead instructor and was joined by senior members from the ʻOhana Waʻa voyaging community. ʻImi Na'auao is a collaborative effort of the statewide voyaging community and provided an opportunity to engage the broader community in the culture, history and legacy of Hawaiʻi's mariner ancestors. The donation funded program necessities such as resource books, food and transportation for aspiring navigators and crew.
The 7-day workshop was launched in March 2007 to guide high school and college students in developing navigation and seamanship skills while exploring relevant connections to science and culture. Teachers, community educators, environmental proponents and active members for the voyaging community came together and mentored the workshop participants.
The Alexander & Baldwin Foundation's initial gift of $7,500 in 2008 helped establish the much-needed framework for this initiative. ʻImi Naʻauao's success over the past four years continue to inspire and educate future navigators and the community.
"Since the inception of the modern day revival of voyaging in the mid 1970s, the voyaging community has experienced phenomenal growth with new voyaging organizations established across communities in Hawaiʻi and parts of Polynesia," said Kalepa Baybayan, ʻImiloa's Navigator-in-Residence and program leader. "The growth of voyaging organizations is a direct result of today's communities demanding programs that engage multi-aged learners in an experience that is challenging, nurturing, impactful, and conducted in a dynamic and relevant environment. On a voyaging canoe, where values, language, and critical thinking skills all come together in hands-on way, programs like ʻImi Naʻauao are helping to inspire and engage people in science, technology, engineering and math in ways we never imagined. We appreciate Alexander and Baldwin and Matson's commitment to this important mission and are proud to continue the voyage."
For more information on how you can support the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, please call Nico Verissimo at (808) 969-9732 or [email protected].
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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. Our mission is to unite our donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawaiʻi and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhfoundation.org.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is a comprehensive university with five degree-granting colleges, six master's programs and four doctoral programs. UH Hilo strives to integrate culture and science, offer hands-on learning opportunities to its students and use the Island of Hawaiʻi as a natural learning laboratory. Enrollment has doubled since 1980 to over 4,000 students coming from all fifty states and more than 40 countries. Please visit www.uhh.hawaii.edu.
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi, is a world-class informal science education center located on the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo campus. ‘Imiloa is a place of life-long learning where the power of Hawai‘i’s cultural traditions, its legacy of exploration and the wonders of astronomy come together to provide inspiration and hope for generations. The Center’s interactive exhibits, 3D full dome planetarium, native landscape, and programs and events engage children, families and the local community in the wonders of science and technology found in Hawai‘i. It is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays). For more information, visit the website at www.imiloahawaii.org or call (808) 969-9703.
