The OHA grant will support activities involving Hawaiian cultural practices, such as working in the taro fields or paddling a canoe, said Carrie Ann Shirota, BEST program director.

“One central portion of the program will be family days devoted to reforestation . . . It will teach the important lesson that growing a healthy forest is like growing a healthy family. Both require a lot of time and attentive effort,” said Shirota.

Given that Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented in the prison population, she said, programs that incorporate Hawaiian culture are needed to increase the reintegration of those inmates into their communities.