Kupu ‘Āina Corps seeks participants, host sites for wildfire recovery on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island

Kupu, a conservation and youth education organization, today announced that its Kupu ʻĀina Corps (KAC) program has opened applications for an impactful one-year initiative dedicated to wildfire recovery and resilience work on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island. 

Participants will earn $20 per hour, paid time off, health insurance and eligibility for a retention bonus. Cohorts will have start dates on a rolling basis, beginning in April 2024. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024. Participant applications are now open.

KAC also invites Maui and Hawai’i Island organizations that are engaged in wildfire recovery and resiliency efforts to apply as host sites. Farmers, ranchers and green businesses that have been impacted by the August 2023 fires are eligible to apply. The host site application deadline is Feb. 23, 2024.

This initiative, made possible through the support of the State of Hawaiʻi, has collaborated with a range of partners who will host KAC participants at the forefront of restoring land and communities impacted by wildfires, including:

• Removal of fire-prone invasive plants to reduce future fire risks 
• Assisting with cultural and historic preservation elements of wildfire recovery 
• Assisting ranchers, farmers or other businesses impacted by the wildfires 
• Receiving fire response training experiences to increase wildfire response capacity

The KAC is separate from the organization’s Hawai‘i Youth Conservation Corps Summer Program, which takes place across all islands this summer, with a deadline of Feb. 16.

In collaboration with Kupu, the State of Hawaiʻi wildfire recovery efforts mobilized through Hawaiʻi’s Green Job Youth Corps, a state program established in 2021 to empower young adults with opportunities in green jobs.

“This initiative, having successfully provided on-the-job experience to hundreds of young adults, is now gearing up to address the immediate and long-term challenges posed by wildfires in Maui and Hawaiʻi Island,” said Kupu’s Vice President of External Affairs, Kawika Riley. “This initiative will contribute to the safety and resilience of communities impacted by wildfires as well as play an important role in future preparedness and prevention.”

Visit kupuhawaii.org/kupu-aina-corps/ to learn more.