The League of Women Voters of Hawai`i County held a meeting on "Huli Aʻo: Rethinking Youth Civics" on Saturday, November 23, at Hawaiʻi Community College, featuring guest speakers Trevor Atkins and Laura Acasio and followed by a lively audience Q&A. Topics included how to make civics relevant and engaging for young people, the importance of education outside the classroom and intergenerational involvement, and responding to concerns such as AI and misinformation.
Trevor Atkins will share insights and future directions in youth civic engagement as advisor of ʻAha Ke Ea Hawaiʻi, an elected student council of Hawaiian charter schools. Ke Ea Hawaiʻi sets priorities and plans interscholastic events that strengthen independence. Last year, one priority was to increase collective knowledge of and engagement in governance.
A former state Senator and an educator with nearly two decades of experience, Laura Acasio will share her experiences teaching keiki the importance of engaging in our democratic system. She has taken student groups to the State Capitol to give testimony, worked on bills supporting civic education, and developed curriculum.
Their talk will be followed by Q&A with the audience. Attendees are invited to submit questions in advance via the registration form below.
SPEAKER BIOS
Trevor Atkins
Teacher, Kanu O Ka ʻĀina, & Advisor, ʻAha Ke Ea Hawaiʻi
Trevor Atkins is from ʻŌlaʻa, Puna, where his ʻohana runs a small native plant nursery. He is an educator who specializes in interdisciplinary, place-based, project-based, community-based, student-centered learning. For the last decade, he has focused on student activities, leadership development, cultural resurgence, and civic engagement for the alliance of Hawaiian charter schools through an elected student council named Ke Ea Hawaiʻi.
Laura Acasio
Former State Senator, Educator, & Organizer
Laura Acasio has served the people of Hawai‘i as a former state senator and public school teacher. She currently serves on the Hawaii County Environmental Management Commission and is a member of numerous nonprofit boards, including the governing board for Ka Umeke Kaʻeo Public Charter School and the Hui ʻOihana Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce. Many of the nonprofits she supports are grassroots organizations dedicated to making government more responsible and effective. The Acasio Ohana, which includes Laura’s husband Lynold and their two sons, is well known throughout Hawaii Island for the countless volunteer hours they devote to community service and advocacy. In her spare time, she assists families giving birth, spends time in the surf, and loves to roller skate.