The Kohala Center serves K-12 students and undergraduates, as well as postgraduate fellows, university faculty, and the general public.

Working together with the principal, teachers, and parents of Kohala Elementary School, a complete science program is being developed for North Kohala youth, including the creation of a fully equipped science center.

The Kohala Center programs “epitomize the very best approaches to experiential education,” writes Robin Rose, Ph.D., the director of leadership programs at Brown University. Brown students conduct fish surveys, plant koa trees, hike in Volcanoes National Park, and learn from Hawaiian cultural experts. “Many of our students describe their course as transformative,” says Rose.

Other transformations are taking place as a result of our Kahaluʻu Bay Preservation Project. This 15-year plan combines the efforts of many groups, from the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort and Bishop Holdings Corporation to the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, the Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to protect a precious area of key cultural and natural significance.

With the support of Tthe Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Kamehameha Schools, The Kohala Center has launched the Mellon-Hawaiʻi doctoral and postdoctoral fellowship program, enlivening the academy with the power of indigenous knowledge.