The Puna ʻŌpio Hub has opened to support young people in lower Puna with job skills, education guidance, and life skills training. Operated by the Neighborhood Place of Puna, the new program serves ages 14 to 25 and is designed to help youth move toward independence.

Funded through the Kīlauea Recovery Grant, the hub connects participants with on-site youth specialists at Connection Point Church of the Nazarene in Hawaiian Paradise Park. Staff will help teens and young adults explore employment options and educational pathways.

Neighborhood Place of Puna Executive Director Billi-Jo Pike said the organization launched the hub to reduce barriers many youth face as they enter adulthood. Those challenges include limited access to jobs, career guidance, technology, transportation, and essential 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.”

Puna ʻŌpio Hub workshops and services

The hub primarily serves lower Puna residents, though anyone ages 14 to 25 is welcome. Youth specialists plan to begin promoting workshops in August and will post schedules to the program’s online calendar.

Pike said a youth advisory board model used in Hilo will be replicated in Puna, giving teens and young adults a direct voice in shaping programs and setting priorities.

Six participants recently gathered to launch a community garden at the site, an effort aimed at building connection and teaching agricultural skills. Similar efforts at community gardens elsewhere on the islands have drawn strong interest, including in Honolulu where a long waitlist has formed for plots at Ala Wai, as reported in Honolulu community garden waitlist stretches decades at Ala Wai.

“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 continuum of services for every stage of a young person’s path to independence, including:

• Workforce Development: Job readiness training, resume writing, interview practice, career exploration, and job placement support.
• College and Career Pathways: Help with college and trade school applications, FAFSA completion, scholarships, career planning, and employment applications.
• Resource Navigation: Access to computers and internet, transportation coordination, budgeting help, and referrals to housing, food, childcare, and other community resources.
• Digital and Financial Literacy: Technology skills, online safety, budgeting, financial planning, and money management workshops.
• Cultural and ʻĀina-Based Learning: Hands-on activities tied to sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, and small-scale business development through community gardening.
• Life Skills Development: Training in communication, problem solving, time management, financial responsibility, and healthy daily habits.

How to access Puna ʻŌpio Hub

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 details, visit the Neighborhood Place of Puna website calendar or call 808-501-1413.