The Full Mo'olelo
KŪPONO VOICES
Kūpono Voices is a culturally rooted, youth-led mental health messaging campaign designed to reduce stigma and promote emotional wellness across Oʻahu. Building on OSN’s mission to unite wellness agencies in collaborative support of individuals, families, and communities, the project focuses on empowering youth ages 13–24, particularly Native Hawaiian, LGBTQ+, and low-income populations, to become leaders and advocates for mental health in their communities. Participants will engage in talk story sessions and creative collaboration to design digital media, community posters, and educational materials that challenge stigma, normalize help-seeking, and celebrate holistic, ʻāina-based pathways to healing.
Vision
By centering youth voices and cultural identity, Kūpono Voices seeks to dismantle harmful narratives that equate mental health challenges with weakness or shame and instead promote the understanding that seeking support is an act of courage, strength, and cultural reconnection. Ultimately, the project aims to create measurable shifts in mental health stigma, strengthen community dialogue, and inspire a generation of youth to lead with compassion, resilience, and pono.
The Why
Why It Matters:
Many youth in Hawaiʻi struggle silently with stress, anxiety, or trauma.
Stigma and shame stop people from reaching out for help.
Your voice can break that silence and change the way people talk about healing.
You have the power to shape what wellness looks like in your generation.
ARE YOU A LEADER
Are you ready to be a voice for change?
We’re looking for youth leaders (ages 13–24) who are passionate about mental health, creativity, and community well-being. As a Kūpono Voices Leader, you’ll help shape how Hawaiʻi’s youth talk about healing, connection, and self-expression. Fill out our application below.
Join Us!
Do you want to be a leader in a youth wellness initiative?
Do you want to help stop bullying, strengthen friendships, and create healthier communities for diverse youth in Hawaiʻi?
This is our call out to our youth across Hawaii for a virtual gathering talk story session to share ideas and dream big about the changes you want to see within your families, friendships, and greater communities.
This is not a workshop or a class, it is your space to speak up, connect, and inspire what happens next.
Your voice at this virtual gathering will help guide a larger youth-led project launching soon.
Come be a part of the beginning - activating the living value of pono in restoring hope, nurturing health, and cultivating harmony, together.
Click on the Learn More button to send an email to our team!
Mahalo
Gwenfread Elaine Allen Fund
Our organization is grateful for the grant funding from the Gwenfread Elaine Allen Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation to support our programs vision.