The Pu‘uhonua Program serves incarcerated individuals and opportunity youth by providing credit-bearing college coursework at Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility, Halawa Correctional Facility, Olomana School, Women’s Community Correctional Center, and Saguaro Correctional Center.

The program actively engages students through rigorous, high-quality coursework, targeted skill-building opportunities, and comprehensive counseling and support services designed to foster academic success, personal growth, and successful reentry.

Our Team

Mission

The Puʻuhonua Program provides holistic, trauma-informed academic support for incarcerated and reentering students, empowering them to pursue higher education and achieve personal growth. Grounded in Native Hawaiian values of refuge, healing, and kuleana (responsibility), we partner with community organizations and educational institutions to deliver culturally responsive services. Through mentorship, resource navigation, and integrated counseling, we foster resilience, restore hope, and build pathways for students to thrive as leaders within their families and communities. 

The Puʻuhonua Program empowers incarcerated and reentering students through trauma-informed education, mentorship, and culturally grounded support. Rooted in Native Hawaiian values of refuge and kuleana, we foster healing, resilience, and leadership for stronger families and communities. 

Vision

The Puʻuhonua Program envisions a future where education serves as a sanctuary of healing, hope, and transformation for incarcerated and reentering students. Rooted in Native Hawaiian values of refuge, restoration, and kuleana (responsibility), the program is dedicated to breaking cycles of incarceration by empowering students to achieve their educational, personal, and professional goals. We strive to create a trauma-informed, culturally grounded learning community that honors the dignity, potential, and resilience of every student. Through strong partnerships, holistic support services, and pathways to higher education, Puʻuhonua nurtures leaders who uplift their families, communities, and generations to come. 

Core Values

What we do: Provide holistic, trauma-informed academic support
Who we serve: Incarcerated and reentering students
How we do it: Through partnerships, mentorship, counseling, resource navigation
Cultural grounding: Native Hawaiian values (especially refuge, healing, kuleana)
Ultimate goal: Students thrive, become leaders, uplift communities