High school students from public, private, charter, and home schools across Kauaʻi gathered Tuesday, April 29, for a student-led leadership event focused on elevating youth voices and strengthening peer connections.
The 2026 Ka Pēwa Youth Summit was held at the Kauaʻi War Memorial Convention Hall and brought together students, educators, community partners, employers, and county officials for a day of engagement between young people and community leaders and local resources.
The County of Kauaʻi served as the lead sponsor of this year’s summit, with Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami opening the event as keynote speaker.
“Seeing our youth lead the agenda for this year’s Ka Pēwa Youth Summit was a powerful reminder that when young people are given the opportunity to shape the conversation, they rise to the occasion and help us focus on what matters most to them,” Kawakami said. “The County of Kauaʻi is proud to support the Ka Pēwa Youth Summit because investing in our youth is one of the most important investments we can make. When we create spaces for students to be heard, encouraged, and connected to opportunity, we strengthen the future of our island and our state.”
This year’s theme, Kūpū Kēlakela, meaning “to rise in glory, to grow in greatness,” reflected the summit’s focus on helping students recognize their leadership potential while connecting them to pathways for growth, service, career exploration, and civic participation.
The event was organized by KKL Collective, with support from Kauaʻi-based student interns Zyra Mariquit of Kauaʻi High School, Lasaya Albite-Ruiz of Kapaʻa High School, and Rianne Cariaga of Waimea High School, who helped shape the summit experience from the ground up. The interns played key roles in outreach, planning, student engagement, and day-of coordination.
“Helping plan the Ka Pēwa Youth Summit showed us how powerful youth voice can be when students are invited to lead, share ideas, and support one another,” Mariquit, Albite-Ruiz, and Cariaga said in a joint statement. “We wanted students from across Kauaʻi County to feel seen, heard, and connected to opportunities that can help them grow. Being part of this summit reminded us that young people have important ideas for our island’s future, and we are excited to keep rising together.”
They were joined by Maui interns Hailey Wakamatsu of Baldwin High School, Pōhai Roback of Kamehameha Schools Maui, and Lillian Chau of Maui High School, who helped organize the Maui Ka Pēwa Youth Summit last October and traveled to Kauaʻi to share lessons learned, mentor their peers, and support the expansion of the summit model to another island.
“This summit was built with students, for students,” said Anuhea Arakawa, director of outreach for KKL Collective. “Our Kauaʻi interns brought incredible energy, insight, and leadership to every part of the planning process, and our Maui interns showed what peer-to-peer mentorship can look like across islands.
“Seeing more than 220 students from so many different school communities come together was a powerful reminder of what happens when young people are trusted, supported, and given a real seat at the table,” Arakawa said.
Throughout the day, students participated in interactive sessions, heard from local leaders, and connected with organizations during a resource fair featuring opportunities related to education, workforce readiness, financial empowerment, and civic engagement.
The summit also created space for students to share their perspectives on the issues that matter most to them and the future they want to help build for Kauaʻi.
The Ka Pēwa Youth Summit began on Maui as a student-centered effort to bring young people directly into conversations about community, leadership, and opportunity. With the successful launch of the Kauaʻi summit, organizers hope to continue building a statewide network of youth leaders who are connected to place, grounded in service, and prepared to contribute to Hawaiʻi’s future together.
“Ka Pēwa is about more than a one-day event,” Arakawa added. “It is about building confidence, friendships, and leadership capacity among students who already have so much to offer. Our kuleana is to create the space, support, and encouragement for them to rise.”
