[intro music] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Aloha and welcome to this week’s episode of HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

I'm Emi Sado, a junior at Maui High School.

We have a great show for you today highlighting the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

In this episode, our student reporters delve into what it means to be civically engaged and how to make change in our communities.

We'll meet a student athlete from Wai‘anae on O‘ahu who navigated the political process to successfully advocate for her school's female athletes.

We'll discover a grassroots effort to restore the limu beds on the reefs in Waimanalo on O‘ahu, and we'll find out exactly how one group of student journalists managed to restore and protect the freedom of Hawai‘i student media outlets.

There's always something out there to improve, it just takes some persistence.

To kick off our episode, let's go to McKinley High School on O‘ahu.

Last year, student journalists there fought to pass a law that restores full First Amendment protections to student journalists, making Hawai‘i the 16th state to do so, according to the Student Press Law Center.

Reece Lapas, a senior at McKinley, uses this story as a lesson in how to wield change through individual action.

Change can happen, and with these steps, you can start to help the community around you.

[ocean wave] When you're just one person thinking that you have the political power to change anything at all feels like a tall order.

Often what causes this feeling of helplessness is distraction and confusion about how the process works.

Here are five steps that you can use to help to push change in your community.

To put it into perspective, some of the steps are accompanied with a real-life example for The Pinion, the student-run newspaper from McKinley High School that recently helped to pass a bill to protect the Free Speech of student journalists for Hawai‘i schools.

Step one, identify a specific issue that is affecting your local community that you think should be changed, like a crosswalk that needs to be repaired.

Step two, research your local representatives and the people in your neighborhood.

You'd be surprised where pockets of support for your cause are.

McKinley is represented by House Speaker Scott Saiki.

He helped them move the bill forward and eventually to get it passed.

Step three, contact your representative.

Ask them if there is currently a bill regarding your issue.

If there isn't, ask if they would support your cause and to actually start making a bill.

Step four, you will inevitably encounter stalls and roadblocks, but don't give up.

Study your issue with your representative and to prepare your own testimony as you continue to rally your friends, family, and neighbors in your community.

Step five, vote.

Remember, a big part of making sure that the issues you care about are talking about by lawmakers is making sure that you are represented by people who align with your ideals.

Ultimately, this is the most important step that can have the widest impact.

Change can happen, and with these steps, you can start to help the community around you.

This is Reece Lapas from McKinley High School, for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] A national movement to ensure equal access to menstrual hygiene products is also taking hold in the islands, according to this next story from Moanalua High School, which originated as an entry in the National Student Television Network Conference in 2019.

We are celebrating the first ever National Period Day.

Over 20 people gathered to talk about period poverty and the accessibility of menstrual hygiene products.

So, the Period Movement started in 2014 by a woman named Nadya Okamoto.

She realized that homeless women and women with low income wasn't able to afford period products.

So that is why she started the period movement, because she wanted to focus to have equal access for all.

Um, Period Movement has two actions.

So, the first action is to provide menstrual products in prisons, schools, and shelters.

And the second one is to end the tampon tax.

Because of her and her role model that she become, she became for a lot of women, you know, it made me feel like, you know, I can be a role model myself for the Hawai‘i community.

So that is why I started Period Hawai‘i.

Periods are not a luxury.

Access to these products are not a luxury; they’re a right.

The period movement wanted to talk periods, and so they did.

If we can find a way to take away that stigma and not have to worry about hiding your tampon or your pad in your sleeve or in your pocket discreetly so you can walk to the bathroom.

And I just think it's a product of nature, so why, uh, are we getting so uptight about it?

My mom, she moved here from the Philippines when she was 11 years old, and when she got her period, she did not have access to feminine products.

And so, she would have to rely on a towel, like she would have to stuff her underwear with towels, um, just to manage through, um, the month.

For Period Hawai‘i, empowering women is always the goal, but their vision goes beyond that.

On three.

One, two, and three.

It's not like we are focusing on the lower class or the homeless woman.

What we are doing is trying to uplift everybody in Hawai‘i Community to become a role model themselves, to help each other because really, that's what it is.

If you are a role model for each other, you are inspiring others to take on your work, take on the awareness to, um, really push the problem, the issue, and try to fix it.

I think by putting that visibility out there, bringing awareness to this issue, I think that's a great step in the right direction.

Period Hawai‘i can be a role model, not only for the Hawai‘i Community, but for everybody else.

We are a small island with a very big voice, and I feel like if we push the awareness and become active in what we believe for, we could definitely be a role model for others.

[ocean wave] Did you know it's been about 50 years since the federal landmark Title IX law officially barred sex discrimination and public schools?

This next story from students at Wai‘anae High School on O‘ahu profiles a student athlete who has been fighting for gender equity on campus by advocating for a new girls’ athletic locker room.

And now it's all dirty, all because of dirty lockers.

Amanda McCoy is disgusted.

As a female athlete at Wai‘anae High School, she has to use the boys’ varsity locker.

I mean, they're just kind of gross looking.

I mean, I look at the inside.

Oh, only one of these works.

When you walk in, there’s a sexist sign that says, “Bend over, touch your toes, and make sure nothing shows.” Graffiti, broken lockers, and out of order toilets are only the surface of the inequality female athletes have to endure.

I feel that it's completely unfair that the guys have access to the right facilities and places to keep their gear, but we don't.

Another part of that is that when that varsity locker room was built, it was at a time where it was only the football team using it, so those facilities were new, everything was clean, and the girls never got to use it during that time.

We're all just trying to cross the divide that female athletes face.

So in August 2022, Amanda and six other female athletes started the process of testifying for the funding of the girls locker room.

Title IX not only protected the civil rights of women and education and sports across the nation but should be especially significant to us.

I testified three times.

I've also testified with the volleyball girls, the soccer girls, the cross-country team.

So why is it a bad thing for us to have the same facilities that the guys at our school in sports do?

After hours of writing testimony, several car rides and months of anticipation, the long-awaited moment finally arrived.

Resolution 22-235 CD1 has been adopted.

Congratulations.

[applause] This is the start of actual change happening at the school, and we can move forward and have more opportunities for girls at the school and be very accomplished.

I was super proud of how they did the testimony.

I mean, standing up in front of a bunch of adults like that, it takes a lot of courage, um, especially if you're advocating for something that you feel is unfair, or, um, you know, not right.

It takes a lot of bravery and strength.

And just because the bill is passed does not mean the fight is over.

Amanda has big plans.

We’re still trying to get the track built, get a new field built.

We have, I would like to get us a pool if we could, because right now we're traveling so far for swim practice.

So, we still have a lot to do.

This is Coco Palmer from Wai‘anae High School, for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] The new Wai‘anae girls’ athletic locker room facility is scheduled to start construction this summer, according to the City and County of Honolulu.

Thanks to an allocation provided by the state legislature in 2022, the Hawai‘i Department of Education is working to build new locker facilities for female athletes on several campuses across the state.

Now let's travel to Maui to learn about how plastic pollution is affecting our ocean, and what volunteers are doing to combat it in this story from Maui Waena Intermediate School produced in 2019.

Citizen Science is a pretty broad term.

Uh, what it means for me is all of us being aware of what's happening around us, and to me science means creating a solution to this.

Mike Ottman, Chair of the Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter, is one of many citizens working towards a solution to reduce plastic pollution.

Jenny Roberts from the Pacific Whale Foundation explains just how dangerous plastic is to our environment.

So, plastic never truly biodegrades.

That first piece of plastic ever created still exists today, and all it does is it photo degrades, which means it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.

And those smaller pieces are what we call microplastics.

And those can be even more dangerous than the big ones because there's microplastics are what the microorganisms are eating.

And then the bigger fish that eats those microorganisms, and they're ingesting plastic and then up the food chain, it goes to the fish you eat on your dinner plate.

The northwest coast of Maui is one of the areas hardest hit by plastic pollution.

Here, marine biologist, Cheryl King, and a team of volunteers collect and study all the waste that piles up.

Everything you can possibly imagine washes ashore here, and we record all that, and then at the end of the day, we have all that information to show that, okay, we have a serious problem for these items.

You know, that's a good thing.

Then we're going to look at – Because the way the currents and the winds move, it's not like a floating island that you can go out and just pick it up really easily.

It's more of a plastic suit that's not just floating, but it's also down, all the way down to the sea floor.

Exactly.

We're trying, like endeavors that we can do on a local basis and a global basis.

It's, it's changing.

It's definitely getting out there as far as the message.

Growing awareness of the problem has inspired many in the community to take action.

I think beach cleanups are the first step.

Uh, for me it created awareness that oh my gosh, actually, when you look down you see it all, the little bits of trash on our favorite beaches.

Uh, the turtles, the fish, the wildlife eating it.

Uh, so to me, um, the beach cleanup is creating that awareness that will move towards making steps towards change.

And these steps are creating a path that many around the world are following, including Amy Laframboise, a volunteer at one of the many beach cleanups on Maui.

When you do travel, I think it's important to give back to the communities that you're traveling to.

In the long run, if everyone really takes those little steps it would really become a massive movement, and I, I think our society is really coming a long way with that.

The fight against plastic pollution may be far from over, but at least one volunteer believes victory is possible.

Okay, so clean up the mess.

This is Cailyn Omuro from Maui Waena Intermediate, for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] It's not only microplastics that are affecting marine life.

Discarded fishing line is also causing big problems.

Here's a story from H.P.

Baldwin High School that profiles a student who interned at the Maui Ocean Center's Marine Institute in 2019.

We look out into the ocean and we're like, wow, it's beautiful.

But until we look at what's inside, it's very depressing.

Contrary to popular belief, single use plastics are not the sole cause of ocean pollution.

Recent UH Hilo graduate Aleysa Martin primarily blames stray fishing lines after interning at the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute.

The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute, also known as MOCMI, wants to ensure the survival of coral reefs and sea turtles in Hawai‘i, especially on the island of Maui.

The greatest cause of stranding in the main Hawaiian Islands for sea turtles is nearshore fisheries interactions.

Each year, between 60 and 70% of our cases are due to entanglements or sea turtles being hooked.

So, we knew we had to develop a program to work with fishermen to help, um, mitigate those threats.

We reached out to local fishermens and just people that are on the beach, and we tell them about the effects of fishing lines and fishing gear that can happen in the water.

It’s like even in the parking lots; like, it’s, it's everywhere in the water.

We dive too, and we always see it stuck in the rocks, too.

It's, it's everywhere.

Luckily, MOCMI devised a plan to reduce the amount of fishing line in the water.

So, we installed fishing line recycling bins, which is made out of PVC pipes.

Just twist it.

I think it might be easier.

It's to ensure that there's less marine debris of monofilament line and fishing gear in our oceans and on the shorelines, and we put it at popular fishing areas.

By all means, roll it up and put it in the appropriate trash receptacle.

Or if there's recycling bins available, put it in the recycling bin.

The recycling bins have been placed at various popular beaches like Ho‘okipa Bay ever since June 2018.

We collect it biweekly.

We collect the line, and it gets repurposed and melted down into tackle boxes or other fishing structures.

The shocking amount of line collected shows improvements that are being made regarding ocean pollution.

In comparison to this, so the different weights will have different lengths when measured this way.

We have collected over 17,000 meters of line, which is also equivalent to about 10.8 miles of fishing line.

So, the effects of marine debris and the fishing industry is really substantial.

Although MOCMI’s efforts are helping immensely, they hope that locals also engage in activities such as beach cleanups.

The ocean and its marine life doesn't have a voice, and I want to be that advocate for the ocean and I want to be there, the ocean and its marine life's voice.

This is Gem Galapon from H.P.

Baldwin High School, for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] Beneath the waves on the eastern shores of O‘ahu, the limu, or seaweed beds, are dwindling.

The Waimanalo community is working to restore them.

Let's find out more in this story from the students of Hono‘uli‘uli Middle School.

Our inspiration was really the kupuna in the community wanting to see limu here as abundant as it used to be.

[ocean wave] The Hawaiians used to eat this from the Japanese.

[inaudible] but it's called ogo.

You might find it if you're lucky.

Yeah.

You may not know it, but limu, or Hawai‘ian seaweed, is an important part of our local ecosystem.

It also provides shade and a sanctuary for fishes.

Unfortunately, in recent years, native limu has been dying out and is now considered endangered.

That is where organizations like the Waimanalo Limu Hui that started 2017, come into the picture.

Limu is very important to the Hawaiian culture.

Waimanalo Limu Hui is focused on growing limu to make sure it's sustainable for our food system.

Limu is an algae, uh, typically grown in the ocean, um, that the Hawaiians used to use as a source of iron in their diet.

So, what the Waimanalo Limu Hui is doing is we're using the tanks at Sea Life Park to grow out limu that are then being transplanted out into the ocean.

And by planting limu back in the ocean, limu is actually the bottom of the food chain here in the nearshore ecosystem.

So, by planting limu or having limu here, it allows the herbivores to eat, eat the limu, and then the carnivores eat the herbivores, which is what we end up eating later on.

And it just interconnects the whole food web.

Our inspiration was really the kupuna in the community wanting to see limu here as abundant as it used to be.

Um, the Waimanalo Limu Hui started in 2017.

We like what we do, it involves the community.

It gets the community to come out and talk story with each other, bringing that back, that cultural practice back to the forefront.

What the Waimanalo Limu Hui hopes for the near future is there will be an ambulance of limu in the ocean.

This Jimmy Pollara, reporting from Honol‘uli‘uli Middle School, for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] I'd like to take you back to a story from Maui Seabury Hall Upper School in 2013.

They take us to the island of Kaho‘olawe, where volunteers have been working to restore the land for decades.

When they used to bomb it, like my grandpa said like, when he was little, they used to like, stay up late and just like, pretend it was like Fourth of July practically.

He'll just like, light up in the sky.

Where was your grandpa?

Oh, he was at Makena, Makena Landing.

And like they used to watch it when they were little, like, blow up.

Kaho‘olawe, an island previously known for its vast and rolling pastureland, has been reduced to a desolate, barren island due to overgrazing and bombing.

But there's hope.

With the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission's reforestation team led by Paul Higashino, the island is slowly but surely being revegetated into the beautiful land it once was.

From this past year, uh, we've been bringing about 400 volunteers a year.

Previously we used to bring out about 800 to 1,000 volunteers, but we got cut back, uh, considerably.

For our budget, we had to reduce our, our, our operating budget.

And you know, when the volunteers do come out here, you know, it's, uh, who comes out here?

It's school groups, um, elementary school groups, high school, uh, college groups, anyone who gives us a call gets on our at least two and a half, three year waiting list.

And whatever needs to be done out here, you know, uh, mostly it's, you know, the restoration.

We're trying to bring back the island, to revegetate it.

So, a lot of it's planting, erosion control, alien plant control.

But if someone is good with small engines, we have them working on our chainsaws or our weed eaters.

If someone's a carpenter, we have them fix things, and you know, so whatever needs to, uh, be done.

We try to put the volunteer or volunteers on the path that would be most appropriate.

And I think the people come out here and they look at the job and, you know, how daunting a task it is.

And, um, you know, people say, “How do you eat an elephant?” You know, one bite of, one bite at a time?

How do you restore or bring back an island like Kaho‘olawe?

One plant at a time.

This is Kyle Mackie reporting for Seabury Hall on the island of Kaho‘olawe, for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] The students of Pōmaika‘i Elementary School on Maui have more ideas to share about how you can make a difference in your community.

Let's watch their how-to.

I think my neighborhood is great, and it's just right for me.

But even if I think my neighborhood is perfect, there are always things that can be improved.

Instead of complaining about the problems, I tried to be proactive and help out to make a difference.

There are many ways to help your community.

You could do something as little as picking up trash from your local park.

You could also help out by solving a community problem.

For example, if we see a bus stop without a bench, call your county and work with them to provide seats as people wait for the bus.

You could even provide your own seats.

Why not spend time with the kupuna?

This helps to create a bond between the older generation and the much younger one.

Research the closest assisted living community and find ways you could get involved.

Also, you could volunteer.

You might enjoy working at a school, food bank, or an animal shelter.

No matter how perfect your neighborhood is, there are still ways you can make your community a better place.

This is Krystiana Torricer here from Pōmaika‘i Elementary School for HIKI NŌ.

Now we have a special segment that breaks down a hidden type of discrimination called institutional bias.

This kind of bias occurs when institutions tend to allocate resources in uneven ways.

This next piece from students at Wai‘anae High School on O‘ahu introduces a genre of journalism, new to HIKI NŌ, the on-camera commentary.

In it, Denise Cabrera shares her research about how institutional bias can affect students in rural areas, like Wai‘anae, and what we as citizens can do about it.

The different demographics and economic states of cities influence the opportunities that may be found within them.

institutional bias in communities are directly affecting a person's future.

There are fewer government services allocated to poorer districts.

According to US News, researchers found that students in poverty need 40% more funding than students not in poverty, and also found that districts with the highest poverty rate receive 16% less funding than lower poverty districts.

Those who need the services most aren't always the recipients of such.

Therefore, the lack of distribution is contributing to the hindrance of the community success.

Also, less opportunities are offered to those who are less fortunate.

Honolulu is a metropolitan city, but Wai‘anae is a small suburban city.

The 2020 census has found that the average income per person at Wai‘anae is about $23,000, while Honolulu’s is about $61,000.

The average Honolulu resident makes about $38,000 more than the average resident in Wai‘anae, meaning that each Honolulu resident makes more than double of a resident in Wai‘anae.

The reason for the lack of income is in part due to the larger cities having access to more resources.

However, this does not justify the lack of opportunities in smaller cities, like Wai‘anae.

One might say it is a person's responsibility whether they will succeed or fail.

In school, it is up to the student to decide whether they will succeed or fail in a class.

A study from 2018 found that students with a growth mindset did better than students with a fixed mindset.

If a student is ready, prepared, and willing to do all of the work they need to meet their goal, then their chances of success are exponentially higher.

However, those students are in control of their futures, the opportunities given to them are still dependent on the district.

A study by the University of New Hampshire found that 47% of rural school districts have no students in AP courses.

Yet only 20% of town districts, 5% of suburban districts, and 3% of urban districts have no enrollment in AP courses.

The scarcity of opportunities are more prominent in lower class and lower populated areas, which affect the outcome of the students.

Institutional bias is an issue plaguing many communities, but together we can put an end to it.

By providing information about opportunities in public areas, communities can become informed about the different opportunities and services they can receive.

Areas where information may be found are schools, bus stops, malls, restaurants, street signs, parks, or even through mailing flyers.

Also, as students, we can create groups or organizations that advocate and offer opportunities for the community.

Here at Wai‘anae High School, there's a college club, and it is a student led program that helps support students in preparing for their future.

This club is partnered with METS, the Mānoa Education Talent Search, which offers extra services for students.

Lastly, all together we should remember that just because a person comes from a disadvantaged place, riddled with stereotypes, it doesn't mean they can't succeed.

Many communities are currently at a great disadvantage.

Opportunities that can really help the people of these communities are not reaching them.

There are many communities being affected by this issue, not just Wai‘anae.

Opportunities should be accessible to everyone, so speak up and advocate for your and other communities.

By using our voices, we can work together to implement these solutions, create more equal opportunities, and end institutional bias.

This is Denise Cabrera from Wai‘anae High School, for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] That concludes our show.

Thank you for watching the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

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You can find this HIKI NŌ episode and more at PBSHawaii.org.

Tune in next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

[HIKI NŌ theme song plays]