Maui Huliau Foundation

10/07/2026

Another Youth Film Workshop + Photos from a Busy Start to Fall Semester -

After our September filmmaking workshop, students told us they were especially interested in documentary and music video production, so we’re offering an additional workshop focused on these two genres!🕺🏽🎥

10/03/2026

🎬 High School Filmmaking Workshop: Documentary + Music Video

After our September filmmaking workshop, students told us they were especially interested in documentary and music video production, so we’re offering an additional workshop focused on these two genres!

Join us Monday, October 12, 1–3 PM at UH Maui College to learn about the different processes involved in making documentaries and music videos, plus get hands-on practice conducting an on-camera interview.

Interested in making a film afterward? High school students can form teams and work on a film throughout the school year on a flexible schedule, with support along the way. Explore environmental topics submitted by community partners or develop your own film idea.

Can’t make the workshop or in middle school? Complete the interest form to learn about other opportunities, including our fall break filmmaking team for grades 7–8 and future middle school teams.

Register using the link in our bio for this free workshop!

The Huliau Environmental Filmmaking Club is an after school program where Maui students ages 12-18 learn to make short films about local environmental topics. In 2023, we are also offering a condensed spring break program for youth.

10/02/2026

This week we spent Monday and Tuesday at Kaʻehu, facilitating Hoʻākea in partnership with Hui o Waʻa Kaulua for Maui High School and Baldwin High School students. Beyond navigation skills, our high school programming brings in partners who expose students to different career options right here at home. 🌊
Students rotated through stations, starting at Kaʻehu, our host organization, where they learned what it looks like to build a career in ʻāina stewardship through a lauhala weaving activity 🌿. They then learned from Mauna Kahalawai Watershed Partnership, stepping into the role of “field technicians” and selecting the equipment needed for real conservation missions 🏔️. Next up was Maui Invasive Species Committee, where students ran a simulated field survey, getting a firsthand feel for the challenges of detecting invasive species before they spread 🔍. At The Nature Conservancy Hawaiʻi station, students got hands-on with field and backcountry gear, learning how these tools support habitat restoration from mauka to makai 🎒. Then it was on to Paeloko Learning Center, where cultural storytelling and guided conversation led into a hands-on ʻohe kāpala (bamboo stamping) activity, letting students reflect on their own path forward. And finally, students ended at the Hui o Waʻa Kaulua station, where they got to see and feel a waʻa up close and learn the kuleana needed to safely navigate a voyage, from navigator to medic and broader maritime careers ⛵

Mahalo to all our partners for showing our students the many paths to a career rooted in place 🤙. Next up we’ll be at Maʻalaea Bay facilitating a couple more high school Hoʻākea events!

09/30/2026

We just wrapped up our first climate literacy unit of the school year! Over the past two weeks, our staff worked with the Ecology and Field Ecology classes at Kīhei Charter School learning about climate change impacts affecting us on Maui and worldwide. Students explored how a warming planet can cause droughts and wildfires in our native watersheds and how bleaching coral reefs can lead to coastal erosion, just to name a few.  🪸⛰️☀️

⭐️Interested in learning more about our Climate Literacy Project? Check out our website under the “Climate Literacy” tab to learn more and get in touch! ⭐️

09/25/2026

Lala, Lowell, and now Nolo… This 2026 Pacific Hurricane Season came out swinging. Are these extreme weather events caused by climate change?
This can be tricky to answer–although we can’t definitively say that a single hurricane is due to climate change, we can say that climate change can make certain extreme weather events more likely and more intense. Thanks to attribution science, researchers are able to quantify the way that climate change plays a part in extreme weather events through comparing climate conditions we experience today, to models of what Earth’s climate would be like without human influence.

When global temperatures rise, it can affect more than we realize…
🌡️🌊Warming ocean temperatures
🌀⛈️Increased Precipitation and Stronger Winds

Research points to warmer ocean temperatures as a key factor that can cause more storms to rapidly intensify. With about 90% of the excess heat from global warming being absorbed by the ocean, we can expect this El Niño season to continue serving us extreme weather events. The fortunate thing to remember is that Hawai’i has always faced these cycles of hulihia (overturning) and kūlia (striving), where our communities remain resilient because of the strength, perseverance, and aloha that we have for each other. Consider supporting ʻohana and organizations that continue to aid our lāhui in disaster recovery efforts across the pae ʻāina.

09/24/2026

A new school year has begun 🌱, which means it’s the start of another year of our Huliau Leadership Council! This year we spent our orientation camping trip in Hāna ⛺️. Although we didn’t have our whole council, we still had lots of fun and even got to jump in and learn about navigating during Hoʻākea Hāna 🌊. Our students learned how to tie the “shaka knot” 🤙, and some even got to ride jet skis, learning about safety procedures for the waʻa.

✨Stay tuned for Season 2 of Nā Alakaʻi, our series following the service projects the students of the 2026–27 Leadership Council will participate in! ✨

09/17/2026

6 films. 3 interns. 1 summer. And now you get to watch them 🎬
These 6 films premiered at this year’s Huliau Food and Film Festival! Cailin and Yzabelle brought you inside the kitchens and farms behind the festival, capturing the stories and passion behind every dish. Nainoa documented our 3-day Eco-Adventure program, following students as they learned about the Moku of Kula as an interconnected system. 🌱
Watch all 6 films now — link in bio! 🔗

09/16/2026

What a day! 🎬 We spent Labor Day hosting our filmmaking workshop, which brought students together for a full day of hands-on learning. They explored what makes a compelling Hawaiʻi story, then rotated through skills stations covering camera controls 📸, interview setup, gimbal and drone work, and color and framing 🎨. Students also heard from an incredible guest panel, DeAndre, Stefan Schaefer, Matt Yamash*ta, Kiana Liu, and Austin Hutto, who shared their careers, creative process, and experience working in Hawaiʻi film. The day wrapped up with students refining their own story ideas into short film pitches, ready to bring their concepts to life. ✍️ Mahalo nui to our guest filmmakers for sharing their time, talent, and knowledge, and to all the students who showed up ready to learn, create, and tell their stories! 💛

09/16/2026

After a couple of film festivals and a few public showings, we’re happy to finally release our 2025-26 Fall Films on YouTube! The first follows young scientists at the Coral Resilience Lab studying how corals survive rising ocean temperatures, made by Kīhei Charter High School students through our in-school filmmaking program. The second, created during our Fall 2025 Environmental Filmmaking program, features young Hawaiians sharing their perspectives on the revival of Hawaiian culture and its impact on ʻāina, identity, and future generations. Head to our YouTube channel to watch both now! 🍿🎬🍃