Mana Maoli

Established in 1999, Mana Maoli (MM) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that founded Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School, Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy (a sailing canoe program) and the Mana Mele Project. 

Mana Maoli’s Mana Mele Project features Hawaiʻi’s first state-of-the-art, 4-in-1 Solar Mobile Studio, an unprecedented Music & Multimedia Academy and over 200 Mana Maoli Collective professionals in the creative or “storytelling” industries of music, engineering, multimedia, and communications. 

Mana Mele facilitates and nurtures the growth of over 2,000 youth at 23 schools, empowering them to tell their stories, from their place. 

Music & Multimedia Academy

• Graduates will be college/career ready, culturally grounded, and community-minded.

• Connecting youth to mentorships with music & multimedia pros, on campus & in real-world settings, is a key feature of Academy curriculum.

• After the development/pilot phase across 20 schools, students will be able earn Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies credits needed to earn their high-school diploma.

4-in-1 Solar Mobile Studio

Audio | Video | Live Events | Studio Recordings 

• Classroom & studio on wheels, refurbished from a 1976 Airstream trailer.

• Students created 100’s Knowledge Resource Products in this studio, including  kupuna archives (oral histories of our elders), mele/oli (songs/chants), instructional, informational, and promo videos, audio books, and more.