The Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association (HSTA) recognized Puna educator Nick Kālāmakani Francisco with the 2025 Friend of Youth Award at the HSTA’s 52nd annual State Convention. This accolade honors individuals outside the HSTA whose efforts have made a significant and lasting impact on the youth of Hawai‘i.
Francisco, an ʻāina-based educator, devotes his efforts to empower and elevate youth through various community-based projects. “For over a decade, he has been a steadfast guardian of Hawaiʻi’s food and farming traditions,” remarked Jodi Kunimitsu, a Maui High math teacher and chair of HSTA’s Human and Civil Rights Committee. Kunimitsu emphasized Francisco’s contributions to “kuʻi kalo (poi pounding) and ʻike (culture) kupuna-guided sustainable agriculture,” which revitalize cultural connections and practices across communities.
“It’s called papa kālaiʻāina, because we’re teaching the ʻohana (family members) and the keiki (kids) to grow kalo (taro),” explained Francisco. His educational approach involves instructing youth on growing kalo in challenging environments and teaching traditional carving skills to produce tools for poi-pounding. Francisco’s lessons are not limited to agriculture; they emphasize cultural mindfulness and environmental stewardship.
Francisco’s impactful work resonates within the community, often bringing him to local gatherings where he conducts interactive poi-pounding lessons. These interactions not only educate but motivate the youth to uphold the values of mālama ʻāina (care for the land).
Recently, HSTA captured one of Francisco’s educational sessions at Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School in Hilo, witnessing his influence as students created traditional tools. Channa Uyetake, a sixth-grade teacher at Kua O Ka Lā, nominated Francisco for his dedication. Uyetake praised Francisco as “an awesome kumu and a great addition for our keiki to learn ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian culture).”
Francisco and Uyetake facilitated a huakaʻi (field trip) to Laupāhoehoe Point, where students selected large stones to craft into pōhaku for poi-pounding. Uyetake commented on their progress, emphasizing the life lessons the students learned through painstakingly carving these stones.
Francisco’s educational philosophy highlights the importance of cultural pride and awareness. His work is driven by a desire to instill pride and understanding in the students of their cultural heritage, as he reflected on past repressions faced by Hawaiians, including his own family experiences.
