New youth hub in Puna to guide young people toward independence

The Neighborhood Place of Puna has opened the Puna ʻŌpio Hub, a new youth-centered resource and workforce development program designed to support young people ages 14 to 25.

Funded by the Kīlauea Recovery Grant, the hub will assist young people as they explore employment and educational pathways with help from youth specialists located on-site at Connection Point Church of the Nazarene in Hawaiian Paradise Park.

According to Billi-Jo Pike, executive director of Neighborhood Place of Puna, the nonprofit decided to open the new hub in Puna to address barriers many young people face as they transition into adulthood. This includes limited access to employment opportunities, career guidance, technology, transportation and essential support services.

“One component of the Puna ʻŌpio Hub is that it is still a drop-in site where we can provide resources and help to youth individually, whether it is crafting a resume, role-playing job interviews or exploring what their future could look like,” Pike said.

“The other component is more workshop-based. We want to have workshops where youth come in as a group to learn about building credit, get job skills training or learn about managing their money.”

The new hub is designed to primarily serve youth and young adults living in lower Puna, but anyone from 14 to 25 can come in for services. In August, youth specialists will begin advertising their workshops and putting them on the calendar online.

“In Hilo, we created a youth advisory board to help us design programs for youth and we plan to do the same thing in Puna,” Pike said. “This gives the youth and young adults the opportunity to design what kind of workshops they are interested in and what they want to prioritize. We want to put their voices at the front.”

On Thursday, six youths came to the Puna ʻŌpio Hub to start the community garden, which is meant to build community among the young people and teach them the skills required for agriculture.

“While the hub was created for career development, educational support and life skills training, there is an underlying goal of creating a community among participants,” Pike said. “Creating a community can ultimately help everyone achieve long-term stability and success. The space gives them the opportunity to discover their strengths and access the relationships needed to thrive.”

The Puna ʻŌpio Hub offers a comprehensive continuum of services designed to support every stage of a young person’s journey toward independence, including:

• Workforce Development: Job readiness training, resume development, interview preparation, career exploration and job placement support.
• College and Career Pathways: Assistance with college and trade school applications, FAFSA completion, scholarship opportunities, career planning and employment applications.
• Resource Navigation: Access to computers, internet, transportation coordination, budgeting assistance and referrals to housing, food security, childcare and other community resources.
• Digital and Financial Literacy: Workshops focused on technology skills, online safety, budgeting, financial planning and money management.
• Cultural and ʻĀina-Based Learning: Hands-on experiences connecting participants to sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship and small-scale business development through community gardening.
• Life Skills Development: Practical training in communication, problem-solving, time management, financial responsibility and healthy daily living habits.

The Puna ʻŌpio Hub is open from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at 15-1839 32nd Ave., Keaʻau.

For more information about the Puna ʻŌpio Hub, visit the Neighborhood Place of Puna website, or call 808-501-1413.