USA – Hawaii

Hawaii Segment Summary

Hawaii “closes the circle” of the 24h for Change event. Susannah Johnson offers a reflective synthesis from a Hawaiian/indigenous, strengths-based lens.

Human Development Aloha & Gifts Global Competence

Education as Human Development

Schools should be in the “business of human development”: cultivating kind, purposeful, responsible humans rather than chasing test scores.

Through the story of Auntie Pua, Susannah stresses that every learner has gifts—like spearfishing—that may not fit traditional school categories.

Hawaiian Concepts: Aloha, ha (breath/well-being), and pilina (relationships) frame education as honoring each person’s gifts and community strengths.

Global Competencies & Core Capacities

Connecting themes from the whole 24 hours to global frameworks (OECD/PISA), she highlights four essential, future-relevant capacities:

  • Critical Thinking: Before, during, and after using AI.
  • Compassion: The biggest current deficit.
  • Curiosity: Protecting it instead of “schooling it out”.
  • Adaptability: Learning as the world changes.

AI & The Living Ecosystem

AI as Amplifier

AI is a powerful enabler when anchored in ethics. It doesn’t replace us, but people who know how to use it may replace those who don’t.

Hawaii as Ecosystem: A single statewide system collaborating with charter/independent networks. Deep community partnerships (e.g., restoring ancient fishponds) address real issues like food security.

Solutionary Projects & Philanthropy

Drawing on the Institute for Humane Education, students tackle real issues through research, empathy, and action. Even primary students can design solutions.

Youth Philanthropy: The Hawai‘i Center for Youth Philanthropy invites young people to define “value, worth and wealth” and direct funding to locally defined needs.

Mission as Keel, Not Anchor

For schools, a mission should be a keel (guiding forward movement) rather than an anchor (holding back).

The Invitation

This is a decade of disruption. Educators must shift from gatekeepers of knowledge to guardians of critical thinking and hope.

Practical Advice

When things feel stuck, go outside, look at the land/ocean, breathe, and imagine better possibilities.

Main Entities and References

Below are the main organizations and initiatives referenced in the Hawaii segment.

Institute for Humane Education “Solutionary” frameworks for purpose-driven learning.
humaneeducation.org Schools of the Future Conference Annual innovation conference in Hawaii.
ppshi.org Hawai‘i Society for Technology in Education Statewide affiliate supporting ed-tech.
hste.org Hawai‘i Center for Youth Philanthropy Youth-led philanthropic initiative.
hawaiicommunityfoundation.org
🌺-Hawai