The Kū makani commitment

E Hoʻomalu Mai: Building Pilina Through Conflict and Difference

He ali‘i ka ‘āina, he kauwā ke kanaka.

Aloha kākou & welcome to a new academic year!

The Pilina Support Team is active for another semester, and we are working closely with our campus community to bring programs, resources, and initiatives that support our culture of aloha. Check in with us throughout the semester and be part of the conversation to explore diverse perspectives and cultivate healthy connections with one another, ourselves, and this land of Hawaiʻi.

E Ho‘omalu Mai

“Aloha kuʻu moku o Kahoʻolawe 

Mai kinohi kou inoa ʻo Kanaloa

Kohemālamalama

lau kanaka ʻole

Hiki mai nā pua

E hoʻomalu mai”

Mele O Kahoʻolawe is a song of adoration and affection written by Uncle Harry Kunihi Mitchell, a beloved cultural practitioner, healer and advocate for Hawaiian rights from the island of Maui (Read more about his life and legacy here). “E Hoʻomalu Mai,” is an invitation for peace and protection. Storied places or wahi pana like Kahoʻolawe and other moʻolelo of resistance and peaceful resolution, offer us guidance through situations of extreme conflict and violence.

Aloha, in practice is pilina— that is, the pursuit of and care for the relationships that connect us to ourselves, one another, and this place. Strengthening our pilina is an act of aloha. 

The University is responsive to the needs of the community and has made a commitment to becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning grounded in Native Hawaiian worldviews and ways of life (learn more about this in the UHM Strategic Plan). Since 2017, our University has also been designated as a center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) (read more here). The Pilina Support Team puts these commitments into practice by providing faculty, students, and community members with tools to address internal bias and participate in healthy practices that reconnect us to ourselves, one another, and our beloved ʻāina.

E pili mai, come join us!

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Fall 2025 Programming

ONGOING EVENTS 

“Faith In Difficult Times” Series (co-sponsored by the UH Mānoa Ānuenue Center): A student-focused series inviting different religions to share strategies from their faiths on how to navigate these challenging times. Note: This semester, Buddhism, Judaism, and Native Hawaiian traditions will be visited as sources of healing and resilience in difficult times. We will continue to explore more faiths and religions in future semesters.

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Brave Space Dialogues (co-sponsored by the UH Mānoa Ānuenue Center): Focused on faculty but open to all, these dialogues respond to: How can I as faculty ensure that my classroom allows for freedom of expression and also inclusion and belonging? This conversation will introduce a “brave space” model to create respectful and engaging dialogue in the classroom. We will introduce exercises to use with your students to collaborate on creating brave space agreements to ground classrooms in mutual respect and equity.

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BY REQUEST:

Pilina Circles: A Pilina Circle is a space to reflect upon, share stories, and deeply listen to other’s stories as a way of connecting and better understanding oneself and being in pilina (relationships/connections) with others and ʻāina. Click this link here to view the Pilina Circle webpage and to make a request. 

Fall 2025 Programming in Review

This is a one-page review of the event, including highlights and take-aways from the presentation by Rabbi CJ Mays
This is a one-page review of the event, including highlights and take-aways from the presentation by Rabbi CJ Mays
Guest Speaker Rabbi CJ Mays explains how mindfulness practices help to strengthen the values that ground us, such as inner trust and steadiness within oneself.
Guest Speaker Rabbi CJ Mays explains how mindfulness practices help to strengthen the values that ground us, such as inner trust and steadiness within oneself.
Guest Speaker Rabbi CJ Mays encouraged the audience to build mindfulness practices into their regular routines.
Guest Speaker Rabbi CJ Mays encouraged the audience to build mindfulness practices into their regular routines.
This is a one-page review of the event, including highlights and take-aways from the presentation by Noah Rasheta.
This is a one-page review of the event, including highlights and take-aways from the presentation by Noah Rasheta.
A flyer with pink lotus flyer graphic on an orange background. A picture of Noah Rasheta is in the middle, with bold text in blue and black that details of the event. More information available in caption.
Pilina Support Team and Ānuenue Center presents: Buddhism in Difficult Times with Noah Rasheta. Friday, October 10 4:00PM-5:30PM QLC 412 UH Manoa
Medium wide shot of Guest Speaker Noah Rasheta standing behind a podium at the front of a classroom with a slide show presentation behind him, showing a picture of a white lotus flower and the words, "Tool #3: Interdependence."
Guest Speaker Noah Rasheta provided the audience with positive tools to navigate day-to-day interactions.
Wide shot of guest speaker Noah Rasheta standing behind a podium at the front of a classroom filled with people in chairs. There is a TV presentation behind him with an image of an American Flag.
Guest Speaker Noah Rasheta presented various symbols and encouraged the audience to remain open and curious to different interpretations of a symbol.
An image of various resources and handouts displayed on a table at the event.
Resources provided to the audience - Guest Speaker Noah Rasheta had two more speaking engagements on Oʻahu the following weekend.
This is a flyer with black and purple text and 2 images on a gray background.
“Brave Space Conversations,” are back to provide faculty with tools and exercises that guide classroom discussions to be insightful and transformative. These conversations aim to answer the question, “How can I as faculty ensure that my classroom allows for freedom of expression and also inclusion and belonging? A “brave space” model will be introduced to facilitate respectful and engaging dialogue in the classroom. We will introduce exercises to use with your students to collaborate on creating brave space agreements to ground classrooms in mutual respect and equity.

RESOURCES 

“For Our Grandchildren: Healing. Restoring. Imagining.” Hawaiʻi Kuʻu Home Aloha 2024 Keynote. What are the futures we hope for and envision for our children and grandchildren? Featuring Dr. Gail Christopher, award-winning change agent, and world-renowned kumu hula and cultural expert, Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani, this keynote engages a conversation on restoring racial, spiritual, and relational healing to help us kindle our unique and collective abilities to (re)imagine our futures and take courageous steps forward.

“Deep Dives” Professional Development Series – UH Mānoa Division of Student Success:

“Re/Designing Democracy: Envisioning a more aspirational democracy that works for everyone” Webinar – American Association of Colleges and Universities:

Past Programming

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