Episode 165: Catching up with members of the Honolulu Youth Commission

On this week’s episode of the One O‘ahu Podcast, Honolulu Youth Commissioners Kalena Cooke Shea and Tanya Paia join host Brandi Higa to share about why they decided to get involved with the commission, resolutions they’ve introduced, and the Youth Climate Action Fund.

Getting Involved

Approved by the voters in 2020, the Honolulu Youth Commission provides youth (ages 14-to-24) on O‘ahu with a voice and presence in local government. The commission is made up of fifteen commissioners appointed by the Mayor and the Honolulu City Council.

“I got involved with the Honolulu Youth Commission specifically to represent my community of Papakōlea,” said Commissioner Tanya Paia, who was appointed by Honolulu City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam and represents District 6, which covers portions of Kaka‘ako, Downtown Honolulu, Papakōlea, and Kalihi.

To learn more about the Honolulu Youth Commission, please visit https://www.honolulu.gov/mayor/honolulu-youth-commission/

Real Change

The Revised Charter of Honolulu (RCH), Section 6-108(2) states in part: “The commission shall advise the council and mayor on the effects of policies, needs, assessments, priorities, programs and budgets concerning the children and youth of the city. The commission shall also express the policy priorities of the children and youth of the city.” Part of fulfilling that mission has included the drafting of resolutions.

“Recently at our May meeting, both me and our vice chair, Dominique Bonifacio, we wrote a resolution and we passed it about using fly ash in our roads, as a more sustainable way of creating road (repairs),” explained Commissioner Kalena Cooke Shea, who represents Honolulu City Council District 5 covering Palolo Valley, Mānoa, McCully and Ala Moana.

In 2024, Asa Shimizu became the first Honolulu Youth Commissioner to see his recycling resolution sail unanimously through the Honolulu City Council.  To read Shimizu’s Resolution 24-007 – revised into Resolution 24-213, visit https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/measure/3063

Climate Champions

In April of this year, it was announced that Honolulu will join Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Climate Action Fund, which will provide capital and capacity to support municipalities in mobilizing young residents ages 15–24 in designing and delivering solutions aligned with citywide priorities.

“I hope that this project delivers something that creates a space that is prepared and ready for the future and for future generations,” added Commissioner Paia. “So things like climate change, it’s a big issue especially in Hawai‘i.”

For more on this announcement, please visit https://www.honolulu.gov/mayor/bloomberg-philanthropies-awards-50000-to-honolulu-to-fund-youth-led-climate-projects/