Climbhi

LEI program is a Hawaii Tourism Authority sponsored workforce development project to inspire Hawai'i's youth to select careers in the Hawai'i visitor industry by providing them with the necessary means to achieve success. From the student's perspective, LEI program represents an opportunity for Leadership, Exploration and Inspiration, and from the hospitality industry's perspective, LEI provides an opportunity to Lead, Expose, and Inspire Hawaii's youth.LEI programs were hosted on four islands, with special considerations for the unique logistics on each island.The 11th annual LEI program took place in March 2023 on four differrent islands. Participants included 1,000 high school and college students from across the state and over 100 businesses.

110 students from 14 schools statewide kicked off the first disaster response training program of its kind in Hawai'i, which took place October 9-11, 2023. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program is administered and supported nationally by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is a national program of volunteers trained in disaster preparedness and emergency response. The first-ever Hawai'i program dedicated to youth CERT training will be led by multiple partners including the American Red Cross of Hawai'i, the University of Hawai'i Maui County Cooperative Extension, and the United States Navy. To create a Pono (balanced) training, the event also incorporated Hawaiian cultural principles, including the importance of balancing Kanaka (people), Kai/'Aina (land/ocean), and 'Uhane (our spirit). Hawai'i workforce development nonprofit ClimbHI organized the training with support from the Hawai'i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund, Cornell Hotel Society, and over a dozen other partners with the goal of connecting student leaders from high schools across the state as they work to enhance the safety of their communities. All participants successfully completed the program, and students earned certificates from ClimbHI, the American Red Cross of Hawai'i and University of Hawai'i Maui County Cooperative Extension.Participants learned skills to help organize volunteers, assist in evacuations, give assistance to survivors, provide damage assessment information, provide shelter support, and assist with crowd control. Teen CERTs can also help in their schools year-round and participate in disaster drills and exercises, present fire safety education, assist in preparedness outreach, provide peer mentoring, and address safety issues in school. Students learned hands-only CPR and first aid, as well as how to put out small fires, conduct light search and rescue, assist those who are injured, set up medical treatment areas, assist emergency responders, identify and anticipate hazards, reduce fire hazards in the home and workplace, and help reduce survivor stress.

The organization started the development of an online platform in 2019 called the ClimbHI Bridge. It connects educators and businesses through streamlined communication that leads to successful outcomes. Once in the portal, there are multiple opportunity types for educators to explore and then send requests to businesses that are available in each category, including: (1) Guest Speaking / Guest Teaching, (2) Judges & Coaches Sought, (3) Mentorships/ Advisory Boards, (4) Job Shadowing/Teacher Externship, (5) Project-Based Learning, (6) Scholarships, (7) Jobs, (8) Internships, (9) Site Visits and Other Events, (10) Career Fair Participation and Job Readiness Activities, and (11) Materials and Resources.ClimbHI Bridge is the largest public-private partnership of its kind in the state, linking educators, students, businesses and organizations to provide workforce development opportunities. There are 240 schools and 440 businesses participating on ClimbHI Bridge. These awardees and hundreds of opportunities providers have helped reach nearly 170,000 students and 5,300 educators statewide.