“Ma ka hana ka ‘ike”
The Hawaiʻi Storytellers Fellowship (HSF) is designed to coach, train, and place the next generation of trusted storytellers in, of, and for Hawaiʻi. The program is rooted in the Hawaiian proverb, Ma ka hana ka ʻike ("In doing one learns"), and aims to manifest this principle by addressing a critical need to cultivate trusted information sources.
The year-long fellowship is a partnership between Kamehameha Schools (KSBE), the Stupski Foundation and Kahilu Theatre. It is modeled after the successful Arizona State/Indigenous Journalists Association/ICT (formerly Indian Country Today) post-graduate fellowship program.
The HSF is hosted by Kahilu Theatre, a multidisciplinary arts center in Waimea on Hawaiʻi Island, and is centered around the new “Hawaiʻi Radio Hour at Kahilu” which airs weekly on Hawaiʻi Public Radio. This radio hour is a news-and-variety show featuring a long-format story, traditional wisdom, a musical performance and a story from the member of the Hawaiʻi Island community.
The core imperative of the program is to train haumana (students) for a year to become trusted storytellers in Hawaiʻi. Fellows will spend the season working alongside respected Native Hawaiian journalists, focusing on stories that profoundly impact Hawaiʻi’s communities. Each fellow will have learn to write, produce, edit and report with guidance from the program hosts.
HAWAI‘I STORYTELLERS FELLOWSHIP
Beyond radio production, Hawai‘i Storytellers fellows gain experience in a variety of storytelling aspects. They adapt content for written web and visual social formats, gain real field experience by recording and editing the stories of kūpuna (elders), and work with community storytellers on rehearsing their segments. The commitment is 15–20 hours a week, and the program is structured with Kamehameha Schools and the Stupski Foundation providing stipends for the fellows. Upon completion, the fellows are expected to be well-qualified to work in professional journalism with a unique capacity to serve as trusted storytellers in Hawaiʻi.
