Between 1880 and 1892, during King David Kalākaua’s reign and with the support of the Hawaiian Kingdom Legislature, 18 Hawaiians participated in the Hawaiian Youths Abroad program in six different countries around the world: Italy, Scotland, England, China, Japan, and the United States. The 17 young men and 1 young woman were selected “to become future leaders” of the independent Hawaiian Kingdom upon the completion of their studies abroad. The scholars studied engineering, medicine, art, music, military science and foreign languages for the purpose of bringing skills back to the service of the Hawaiian Kingdom and its people.
Native Hawaiian Student Services (NHSS) restarted the “Hawaiian Youths Abroad” program in Summer 2018, retracing the path of Hawaiian aliʻi, diplomats and citizens to create programs engaging students in different educational experiences and training around the world in service to Hawaiʻi. Our focus is on aliʻi huakaʻi and diplomatic relationships between the Hawaiian Kingdom and the rest of the world, and especially in the countries we visit.
In Summer 2026, the program will involve two (2) tuition-free courses (6 credits) — as well as a 10-day study tour to the Pacific Northwest. The program will focus on retracing connections between the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Pacific Northwest, including the labor settlements and consular networks of Hawaiian Kingdom subjects between Vancouver, Canada and San Francisco, California in the 19th century. The program includes a strong archival repository focus in Honolulu prior to the study tour. Before leaving Honolulu, students will learn more about Hawaiian diplomacy and engagement with the world in the 19th century, and the global nature of Hawaiian education in the Hawaiian Kingdom as foundational requirements for the establishment of the Hawaiian Youths Abroad program in 1880. Participating faculty in this year’s program will be Dr. Nalani Balutski, Dr. Willy Kauai and ʻIlima Long. Tentative travel itinerary includes Vancouver, Canada; Salt Spring Island; Victoria Island; Seattle, Washington; Tacoma, Washington; Kalama, Washington; Fort Vancouver, Washington; San Francisco, California; and San Mateo, California.
The program dates will be from May 26 – July 6, 2026, with travel dates from June 26 – July 6, 2026.
May 25 – June 24, 2026
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
| April 3 | Program Orientation |
| May 25 | Hawaiian Youths Abroad Program |
| May 27 | Hawaiian Education & Hawaiian Geography |
| May 29 | Kamehameha, Vancouver & Citizenship |
| June 1 | Huakaʻi to Hawaiʻi State Archives |
| June 3 | Hawaiian Labor Lecture with ʻIlima Long |
| June 5 | Logistics Review & Study Abroad Training |
| June 8 | Huakaʻi to Hawaiʻi State Archives |
| June 10 | Whaling, Forts & Fur Moananuiākea, the Gulf Islands & San Juan Islands |
| June 12 | Atikala Nūpepa: Keomolewa & Kaleponi |
| June 15 | Hawaiian Labor Lecture with ʻIlima Long |
| June 17 | Lecture Catch-up & Final Preparations Guest lecture by David Chang |
June 25 – July 6, 2026
Vancouver & Victoria, Canada; Seattle, Tacoma, Kalama, & Fort Vancouver, Washington; San Francisco & San Mateo, California
| June 25 | Depart for Vancouver |
| June 26 | Travel Day & Vancouver |
| June 27 | Fort Langley & Maple Ridge |
| June 28 | Vancouver to Salt Spring Island Salt Spring Island to Victoria |
| June 29 | Victoria to Seattle |
| June 30 | Seattle |
| July 1 | Seattle to Tacoma |
| July 2 | Kalama to Fort Vancouver, WA |
| July 3 | Travel Day – Portland to San Francisco |
| July 4 | San Francisco |
| July 5 | San Mateo & Santa Cruz |
| July 6 | Depart for Honolulu |
2026 Travel Blog
HYA 2026 Lā 10: Heʻenalu across the world: St. Matthews and the three Hawaiian Princes
Na Kauaheahe Wong Today we left for San Mateo and Santa Cruz from our hotel in San Francisco. It’s all new to me because I have never been to any of these places. The drive over to San Mateo and Santa Cruz was different as there was a mix of city and lush country. We […]
HYA 2026 Lā 9: Hawaiian Presence in the Gold Rush and the Hawaiian Kingdom Consulate at San Francisco
Na Maile Yanagida, B.A. Hawaiian Studies, B.S. Biology HYA 2026 Lā 9: Hawaiian Presence in the Gold Rush and the Hawaiian Kingdom Consulate at San Francisco Aloha mai e nā hoa! Today is our second day in the busy and bustling city of Kapalakiko (San Francisco), a place born of a booming beginning that grew into […]
HYA 2026 Lā 8: San Francisco: Sugar, Ports, and Aliʻi Travel
Na Kaleopomaikai Kauahi-Daniels, BA Student, Animal Science One of the largest exports in Hawaii History is sugar. It has been a major export since the end of the 1800s. The sugar industry has shaped and changed Hawaii’s rising economy. Claus Spreckels, a former grocery and brewery owner, established a dominant presence in the West Coast […]
HYA 2026 Lā 7: Hawaiians,Settlements, & Forts
Na Kaʻuikikaikaimālie Kalama & Kanoniakapueo Kane Hawaiian Settlement in Keomolewa: John & Peter Kalama Na Kaʻuikikaikaimālie Kalama (Undergraduate student, Hawaiian Studies) Today we visited Kalama, Washington, on our huakaʻi to retrace Native Hawaiian footprints in the Pacific Northwest. Kalama Town was named after my kupuna, John Kalama, who was the brother of my third great-grandfather. […]
HYA 2026 Lā 6: More Than a Lūʻau Side Dish: Indigenous Stewardship, Hawaiian Labor, and the Making of a Pacific Food Tradition
Na Kalaninui Wilson Welina me ke aloha kākou e ke anaina e heluhelu nei. Mai nā mauna huʻihuʻi o Vanekouwa, i nā kahawai ākea o Keomolewa, i ke kai māʻokiʻoki o Wakinekona me Oregona, a i ka ʻāina hōʻolu o Kapalakiko. It has truly been an incredible experience to be here following the footsteps of […]
HYA 2026 Lā 5: No ka Lako Kaua mai Keomolewa mai: Regarding Weapons from Keomolewa
Na Kalanimanuia Wong, M.Ed Educational Administration ‘Auhea ‘oukou e nā hoa aloha ʻāina, Today we write to you from Seattle, Washington regarding the role this wahi plays in a greater story that takes place back Hawaiʻi. In response to the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom government on January 17, 1893, many of you may […]