The voyage lives on

WHEN: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 6:45pm

WHERE: Paki Hale at 3840 Paki Avenue, Diamond Head side of Kapi’olani Park.

WHO: DOE Superintendent Pat Hamamoto and PVS president Nainoa Thompson present awards to 4 high school students, three who traveled to Hawai’i for this occasion:
Bhuwan Giri from Thimpu, Bhutan; Jalnidh Kaur from Ludhiana, India' Rosemary Owen from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; Mikia Weidenbach from Waialua, Hawai‘i

WHAT: This voyage provided an opportunity for students from around the Asia Pacific to explore how universal values bind us together as "one ocean, one people" in a peaceful, harmonious, and sustainable world. As part of the Hokule‘a Education Program, the Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) of the East-West Center established the inaugural VALUES FOR LIFE International Essay Contest in partnership with the Nisei Veterans Endowed Forum Series of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Students between the ages of 14 and 18 years from more than seven countries, including Bhutan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India, submitted essays that addressed the question: “What values are essential for a world characterized by peace and social justice?” The four contest winners were recently announced on the Hokule‘a Education Program website (http://pvshawaii.squarespace.com/values-for-life/), where copies of their essays can be found.
As winners of the contest, the students were invited to attend the Pacific Educational Conference (PEC) in Honolulu, Hawai‘i from July 9th through 12th at McKinley High School.

In Hawai‘i, the students will have the opportunity to meet each other, marking one of the first international meetings of the values-based community of students who have been inspired by the hope and possibilities of a better future, which Hokule‘a uniquely symbolizes. On Thursday, July 12th, 8:15am-9:45am, at PEC, the students will read their winning essays.

Funding for the students’ air transportation has been kindly provided by Booz Allen Hamilton, the Na Lei Aloha Foundation, and the Shinnyo-en Foundation.

This will be the first time that Mr. Giri from Bhutan and Miss Kaur from India have traveled outside their home countries. Visiting Hawai‘i and stepping aboard the Hokule‘a, they both said, is a dream come true.