107 Lanai Students Complete Personal Finance Instruction

Albert Morita, President of the Läna‘i Culture and Heritage Center, leads OHA Trustees and staff on a visit to Ka‘ä Ahupua‘a. Photo: Courtesy of Kepä Maly

By Sonia Isotov

On June 15, Alu Like Inc., a non-profit organization for Native Hawaiians, was one of several groups that made presentations to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees at a community meeting held at Lanai High and Elementary School.

Joelle Aoki, Alu Like Inc. told the Board, “Nearly every student beyond the sixth grade on Läna‘i has received personal finance instruction over the past four years largely due to a grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs”. She also said that at least 107 middle-school students have benefited in the past year from financial-literacy programs funded by OHA.

The intention of the personal finance education program is to give students a head start at being less debt-prone by teaching them how to manage checkbooks, how mortgages work, and other basic financial life skills.

Financial-literacy training is part of an overall strategy by OHA to improve family income and in turn, improve the conditions for Native Hawaiians in general.

Other groups speaking at the community included the Lana‘i Native Species Recovery who spoke on watershed protection and Ke Ola Hou o Lana’i who spoke on healthcare.