The Kamaʻāina Connections Program was created to foster a greater appreciation of Hawaiian and local culture throughout the Maunakea Observatories and the Hawaiʻi Astronomy sector. The program is open to all *kamaʻāina employees and is designed to cultivate connections between the observatories and local communities, and to promote personal growth and leadership through a Native Hawaiian-informed lens.
KAMAʻĀINA CONNECTIONS
Since its launch in 2021, the Kamaʻāina Connections Program (KCP) has welcomed three hui (cohorts) of employees from the Maunakea Observatories and partner organizations such as the Center for Maunakea Stewardship, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, ʻOhana Kilo Hōkū, and the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems. Each hui engages in educational sessions, workshops, guest lectures, community conversations and aloha ʻāina over the course of one year that empower participants to serve as leaders in the field of astronomy in ways that center Hawaiʻi’s values and cultural perspectives.
In 2025, KCP introduced a new series of ʻOhana Workshops that bring together graduated KCP members and future program graduates to engage in aloha ʻāina (environmental stewardship), facilitated discussions on current issues in the community, and new KCP-led initiatives.
How to Participate
Interested in joining the Kamaʻāina Connections Program? *Kamaʻāina (defined here as those who are raised in Hawaiʻi) and Native Hawaiian employees of the Maunakea Observatories and the Hawaiʻi Astronomy sector are warmly encouraged to participate.