2020-2021 AmeriCorps*State Competitive Funded Programs
019-2020 AmeriCorps*State Formula Funded Programs
Teach for America
Teach for America Hawai‘i
Chelsea Tokuno-Lynk
Program Director
500 Ala Moana Boulevard, Suite 3-580
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 521-1371
Fax: (808) 538-3793
Email: chelsea.tokuno@teachforamerica.org
Website: www.teachforamerica.org/the-corps-experience/placement-regions/hawaii
Service Area: Education
Teach For America’s mission is to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting a diverse group of leaders who work to expand educational opportunities and provide all children with an excellent education. Teach For America recruits college graduates of all backgrounds to teach for two years in under-resourced schools and communities, trains and develops their leadership competencies, and fosters their impact as alumni of our program to affect educational inequity from many sectors. The Hawai‘i region currently supports 185 corps members teaching in 56 schools across O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island. Approximately one third serve Hawai‘i Island across all three complexes and two-thirds teach on O‘ahu, including 70 who are in schools on the Leeward Coast. Nearly one-quarter of our corps members are Native Hawaiian and Kama‘āina and many of our teachers serve in the communities in which they were born and raised. We will reach just under 16,000 children this year – one-third of whom are of Native Hawaiian or Part Native Hawaiian ancestry and over 60% of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch. We continue to partner with the Hawai‘i Department of Education to address staffing needs and to improve public education in Hawai‘i.
Papahana Kuaola 
Kahua ʻAi Program
Kapaliku Schirman
Executive Director
46-403 Haiku Rd.
Kaneohe, HI 96744
Phone: 808-447-7694
Email: info@papahanakuaola.org
Website: https://papahanakuaola.org
Service Area: Environmental Stewardship
Papahana Kuaola offers AmeriCorps members a unique opportunity to learn natural resource management principles and practices through a Hawaiian perspective. Members gain hands-on experience in skills, techniques, and methodologies that emphasize the connection between cultural traditions and environmental stewardship. Through this project, the community will develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of the importance of land conservation and preservation. AmeriCorps members will enhance their knowledge of Hawaiian cultural practices and how they are applied to natural resource management. Additionally, this initiative will strengthen Papahana Kuaola’s capacity to offer more meaningful service-learning opportunities, fostering greater community engagement and environmental awareness.