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*RESILIENCE* APRIL & MAY Newsletter

Hub Learning Community (HLC) & CERENE Resilience Updates!

*RESILIENCE* APRIL& MAY NewsletterHub Learning Community (HLC) & CERENEResilience Updates!

Dear Hub Learning Community and CERENE Friends!

Spring is in full swing swiftly moving on, and so is our CERENE Team! Our students and team brought big energy to the Western Region COS Conference in Seattle—sharing research on digital healthcare, sustainability, and place-based learning. We loved seeing their passion and ideas come to life on a national stage. Here at home, we’ve been busy too—lending a hand at the Pohukaina Food Pantry, learning through ALOHA higher skills traning in our CERENE Lab, supporting ʻIolani’s Sustainability Festival, and getting inspired by community-rooted research at UH Mānoa. Every event reminded us how powerful it is when we come together as community with purpose and care.


Our Hub Learning Community met for April and heard updates on the new HNL Alert System (please read and install if you haven't yet!) and also we received a visit from the Honolulu Office of Climate Change Sustainability and Resiliency with an invite to present at their upcoming CAP community workshops! You can find a link to the recording if you missed the meeting below and an invite to our **Virtual** May Hub Community Gathering.


We’ve got more resilience resources to share below, like the HI-EMA spotlight at our sustainability seminar and NDPTC’s Third Thursday webinar. We’re excited to keep sharing these resources and opportunities, and can’t wait to see how we all grow stronger together.


Mahalo Nui Loa,

Dr. Miku Lenentine, Chris Pascua, and the CERENE Team

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Note: You are receiving this email because you signed up for our CERENE Neighborhood News or Listserv, or you may have attended one of our community events or neighborhood board presentations. To unsubscribe from our Resilience Hub Community Updates & CERENE News, simply click here.

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Have updates from your Hub or Local Resilience Efforts to share?

Email us at cerene15@hawaii.edu so we can share with our learning community! And join our upcoming monthly zoom to announce live and uplift / connect with other hubs + spokes.

"Where one goes, we all go." Let's strengthen our resilience together!

Click Here for our Monthly Hub **Virtual** Gathering Zoom

(Below) April Hub Virtual Gathering Presentation from DEM + CCSR

Resilience Hub Learning Community APRIL **Virtual** Gathering Agenda

(See recording below for presentations)


  • DEM presentation of O'ahu Emergency Alert System

  • CCSR – meet and greet + climate action plan

  • HLC 5 Year Plan Outline Introduction + Working Group Invite

  • Hub Concept Mapping Meetup Invites

  • HLC Updates

  • Hub / Partner Announcements / Updates

HLC April Virtual Gathering

CERENE Happenings! CERENE Happenings!

Student Voices, Sustainability, and Resilience at COS 2025 Student Voices, Sustainability, and Resilience at COS 2025

🌎 Resilience in Action: Kapiʻolani CC at the Western Region COS Conference 2025

Members of Kapiʻolani Community College and the CERENE Team traveled to Seattle to participate in the Western Region Continuums of Service (COS) Conference, bringing together professionals and students all with shared commitment to sustainability, equity, and service learning.


This year’s conference theme focused on building resilient communities through sustainability and education. We are excited to share the research projects our team was able to share at the event:


🔬 Social Acceptability of Telehealth in the Marshall Islands: Case Study of Kwajalein Atoll

Presented by: Hedsey Rowa, Zach Gibson, and Christopher Pascua
Exploring culturally grounded approaches to digital health equity in remote Pacific communities.


📚 Students Lead the Way: Transcending Barriers in Economics Education Through a Cohort-Based Approach in Hawai‘i

Presented by: Tiffany Gabaylo, Nimue Patton, and Jason Nichols
Empowering students through peer-led, collaborative learning that fosters educational resilience.


🌱 Innovations in Place-Based Social Sciences and Sustainability for Student Success

Presented by: Candy Branson, Michaelyn Nākoa Hall, and Miku Lenentine
Aligning curriculum with Kapiʻolani CC’s Strategic Plan to support student success through community-informed, sustainability-focused pedagogy.


🌺 Access and Detours: Engaging Student Success in Service Learning, Sustainability, and Place in a Hybrid World

Presented by: Denise Pierson and Professor Kuan Hung Chen
Bridging physical and virtual spaces to support diverse learners while honoring place-based learning principles.


While in Seattle, our team also visited the University of Washington and met with members of the Dead Elk Society, a group that supports connection and mentorship among environmental science students and faculty. Students learned about different pathways to becoming environmental scientists and explored graduate research opportunities.


This conference was an amazing opportunity to share research, exchange ideas, and learn from success stories of resilience and positive community change from across the country.

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ALOHA Pa'ina Cohort Completion ALOHA Pa'ina Cohort Completion

At the CERENE Sustainability Lab, we’re honored to be deepening our learning through the teachings of ALOHA, as shared by the late Pono Shim and Aunty Pilahi Paki — powerful wisdom holders who remind us that sustainability begins with relationships, values, and spirit.

With deep gratitude to Brooke Conway and Miki Tomita for guiding us through this journey. Together, we’re expanding our understanding of what it truly means to live sustainably — through harmony, lokahi (unity / unbroken), pilina (deep relationship), and humility .

We’re learning the (or one way of) the practice of ALOHA — it’s a practice, a responsibility, and a way of being in service to life. In our community-based research lab, we are weaving Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to cultivate sustainability and resilience that is social, ecological, and heart-centered — rooted in cultural intelligence and grounded in the perpetuation of holistic wellbeing across generations.


It’s so much more than carbon reduction or recycling — it’s about caring for people, place, and purpose. For all beings.

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Iolani Sustainability Festival Iolani Sustainability Festival

We started our Friday morning in the best way — supporting our sustainability and civic engagement partners at ʻIolani School as they set up for their amazing Sustainability Festival! Our Kapiʻolani CC Sustainability Club leaders came along to lend a hand and left totally inspired.

From awesome local vendors to a clothing swap, live music, and so much more — the energy and intention behind this event was incredible. It fired us up and got us even more excited for all the Earth Month action coming soon to Kapiʻolani CC!


Big mahalo to ʻIolani for showing us what thoughtful, student-led sustainability looks like in action.

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Pohukaina Food Pantry Distribtution Event Pohukaina Food Pantry Distribtution Event

This month our CERENE Team and Sustainability Club joined forces with the Lunalilo Scholars, Service-Learning, and Sustainability Initiative teams to support the Pohukaina ‘Ohana Produce Plus Food Distribution at Kapiʻolani CC.

Together, we helped strengthen local food security, uplift community resilience, and embody the values of Wā Honua and Aloha ʻĀina in action.


Mahalo to everyone who showed up in service — packing, distributing, and connecting with our community in the spirit of care and collective wellbeing. This is what it looks like when we lead with pilina, purpose, and aloha .

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Dementia Friendly Gardens PAR at UHM Dementia Friendly Gardens PAR at UHM

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Had the best time at the Ho‘ōla ‘Āina Pilipili “Dementia-Friendly” Garden Checklist Activity at UH Mānoa! This event was such a beautiful mix of community, connection, and care — from giving feedback on garden accessibility, to enjoying fresh tea and local eats, to taking home some leafy green love.

Our amazing Kapiʻolani CC student leaders got to experience a kind of Participatory Action Research (PAR) in action — learning firsthand how research can be rooted in community voice, cultural connection, and real-world impact - lifting up wellness for resilience and healthy communities.

Huge thanks to our incredible hosts — Summer Maunakea, Melody Halzel — for creating such a thoughtful and welcoming space. Your work is inspiring! Let's get these gardens at wavh of our resilience hubs on O'ahu!


Shoutout to @uhmanoa and @kapiolanicc for supporting community-led, inclusive wellness projects like this one!

Community Resilience Resources ✅ Community Resilience Resources ✅

What (or who?) is HI-EMA? Meet Hawai'i's Emergency Superheroes! 🚨🌊🔥🌴

HI-EMA Spotlight at CERENE Sustainability Seminar!

🌺 Mahalo for Joining Us! What (or who?) is HI-EMA? Meet Hawai‘i’s Emergency Superheroes! 🚨

Click the link HERE for the recording or the play button above.


🔥🌴 Big thanks to everyone who attended our Sustainability Seminar last week featuring John Vierra from the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA)! We hope you left feeling more informed and inspired by the incredible work done to keep our communities safe before, during, and after disasters. From hurricanes to wildfires, tsunami warnings to preparedness outreach, HI-EMA truly is a behind-the-scenes superhero team! 🦸‍♂️🛡️ 🍿 Special thanks to all who joined us in person for lunch, coffee, and popcorn — we loved seeing you there! Stay tuned for more engaging and impactful seminars in Fall Semester! Let’s keep building a more resilient and sustainable Hawai‘i together. 💚 — Hosted by: CERENE x Sustainability Club x Sustainability Committee 🌐 www.cerenehawaii.org

HAWAI‘I EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY HAWAI‘I EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Quarterly Newsletter for Partners and Community Quarterly Newsletter for Partners and Community

Spring is here, and so is the latest quarterly newsletter from the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA)!

In this issue, we’re celebrating the amazing partners helping to build stronger, safer communities across Hawaiʻi.

🌊 April is Tsunami Awareness Month — let’s stay prepared together!

Check it out and stay connected.

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Laulima - HIEMA Newsletter April 2025 (1).pdf
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NEW NDPTC Courses & NDPTC THIRD THURSDAYS NEW NDPTC Courses & NDPTC THIRD THURSDAYS

Third Thursday, 4/17: Risk Communication: Meaningful Engagement for More Effective Hazards Planning

Aloha

Catch up on the last NDPTC Third Thursday Webinar

Topic: Risk Communication: Meaningful Engagement for More Effective Hazards Planning

Presenter:
Stephanie Fauver – Meteorologist and Risk Communication Specialist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office for Coastal Management


Contact for More Info: Amy Kitchener – amyk44@hawaii.edu


About the Webinar: When it comes to storm preparation and other planning efforts, community participation is key. This interactive session explores seven best practices for engaging diverse audiences, along with other helpful communication techniques. Additional tools and resources will also be shared to help you strengthen your communication skills. Please note: this session focuses on long-term preparedness—not emergency or crisis communication.


City Launches HNL Alert as New Notification System

The City and County of Honolulu unveiled a new mass notification system, HNL Alert, in the City’s Emergency Operations Center. This system allows residents and visitors to sign up for updates about severe weather, emergencies, and other important community news via text message, push notification, or email. HNL Alert replaces the City’s previous system, known as HNL.Info Alerts. Other functions of HNL.Info are still available on the website or app.

HNL Alert is used in addition to emergency warning systems that don’t require sign up, such as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) that sound on mobile devices, sirens, and Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages that interrupt radio and TV. While these warning systems are intended for use during urgent emergencies, HNL Alert messages can keep residents and visitors informed about developing weather conditions and other situations affecting City services.

Receiving accurate and timely updates is a critical part of being prepared—sign up today and share with your community!

Sign Up for Alerts

🍀Grants, Funding other Opportunities 🍀 🍀Grants, Funding other Opportunities 🍀

Clean Energy Group's Technical Assistance Fund

Clean Energy Group's Technical Assistance Fund (TAF) is accepting applications for grants of approximately $8,500 to support resilience hub projects serving low-income and BIPOC communities. The TAF provides one-on-one guidance, technical expertise, and funding for solar+storage feasibility assessments, which can support the resilient power element of your Resilience Hub. The TAF offers critical support for community-serving organizations pursuing resilient solar and battery storage projects. This is an excellent opportunity to advance your community's Resilience Hub work. Click here to apply for support.

Ka Malama Hou: Inner Resilience with Micah Tutuvanu Ka Malama Hou: Inner Resilience with Micah Tutuvanu

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Aloha, My name is Micah, and I’m a double major in Psychology and Human Development/Family Studies. My goal is to become a clinical psychologist, and my heart is fully in mental health - not just studying it, but being present for others through it.

I’m proud to be CERENE’s first Mental Health Ambassador. In this role, I'll focus on creating space for honest conversations, empathy, and support. I’m passionate about mental health because I know how deeply it impacts every part of a person’s life. I believe that listening to others and understanding their stories is where real connection, and real change begins.

I'm still learning, growing, and finding my voice, but I’m excited to keep showing up for others however I can.

Feel free to email me: mtutu@hawaii.edu

Mahalo Nui,

Micah, CERENE Mental Health Ambassador

📌📌 Community Resilience Bulletin Board 📌📌 📌📌 Community Resilience Bulletin Board 📌📌

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Hosted by CCSR | April – June 2025
To gather community input for the Climate Action Plan (CAP) update, the City and County of Honolulu's Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency (CCSR) is hosting ten in-person workshops, one in each City Council district. These workshops are designed to engage a broad cross-section of the community—particularly kūpuna (elders), keiki (children), Native Hawaiians, and communities most impacted by climate change.

RSVP HERE!

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  • About the Kaiwi Mauka Lands

    Since 2005, restoring Kaiwi Mauka has been part of Livable Maunalua Hui’s mission. Inspired by our Save Sandy Beach mentors, we helped form the Kaiwi Coalition to protect and care for this special area.

    In 2015, with strong community support and help from The Trust for Public Land, we successfully preserved the last 182 acres of open space between Kalama Valley and Makapuʻu.

    Since then, we've been learning from the land and community—restoring native plants, building trails, and hosting annual guided hikes through our Kaiwi Mauka Explorations.

    Starting March 2025, we’re excited to offer biweekly volunteer days to continue this important work.

    Learn more and join us at www.lhkh.org

    Mahalo nui loa,
    Kaiwi Coalition – Livable Maunalua Hui

Mahalo nui loa! Stay Resilient Strong Together!

Copyright (C) 2025 Center for Resilient Neighborhoods. All rights reserved.

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Note: You are receiving this email because you signed up for our CERENE Neighborhood News or Listserv, or you may have attended one of our community events or neighborhood board presentations. To unsubscribe from our Resilience Hub Community Updates & CERENE News, simply click here.
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