WHO WE ARE

ʻEwalu Industries is a Hawaiʻi Island-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering the next generation of young leaders in Hawaiʻi. We work to empower youth from cradle to career with place-based opportunities, ensuring those who stay in Hawaiʻi are equipped to thrive, and those who leave remain tethered to, and contribute to their island home.

  • Our Mission

    To guide and inspire the next generation of homegrown leaders who put Hawai’i first.

  • Our Vision

    Building an economically resilient Hawaiʻi

  • Our Approach

    From cradle to career.

OUR GOALS

Improve leadership skills for local youth and young professionals.

Increase educational and professional development opportunities for kamaʻāina.

Increase investment in creative arts, tech, and sustainability.

WHAT WE DO

  • As members of the community, we’ve grown up watching Hawaiʻi become more unsustainable as the cost of living soars and land use becomes even more contentious. Between 2014 and 2018, over half (55%) of kamaʻāina between 18 and 34 with a Bachelor’s degree left home for the Continental U.S. Who can blame them when Hawaiʻi has the highest cost of living in the US but, considerably lower labor earnings. Nowhere is this more troubling than on the Big Island, where we also have to overcome the many challenges consistent with being a rural community in the 21st century. 

    We created ʻEwalu Industries to address the systemic changes Hawaiʻi needs in order for kamaʻāina to prosper. Change occurs with one individual at a time, and begins by investing in our future homegrown leaders. ʻEwalu Industries was inspired by the eight (“ʻewalu”) pioneering Fellows who joined our first program—the Lead for Hawaiʻi Fellowship. Their different leadership strengths, interests, and career trajectories represent a microcosm of Hawaiʻi and the positive change we wish to reinforce. They are WHY this team has the hustle and heart to do what we do.

    We believe creating more programs that give youth exposure to meaningful career pathways, mentorship, and leadership training will help retain our local talent and empower them to tackle our most critical challenges. ʻEwalu intends to reverse the current economic trends by operating a variety of programs that strategically target leadership and workforce development needs in the local community and offer these niche partnerships to interested businesses and organizations.

  • Click on image to enlarge.