Kapi‘olani Community College was awarded several grants from Hawaiian Electric as well as State Farm to establish a new program hosted through the Community Engagement for Resilient Neighborhoods lab to support the creation of the Resilience Corps Leaders (RCL) Award Program. The RCL program is a leadership training program combined with a community-based service award which prepares students to step into their brilliance as they take on the role of resilience leaders in the campus and broader community.
These students represent the next generation of sustainability and resilience researchers, professionals, educators and neighborhood residents who can integrate sustainability and resilience competencies into their careers and communities.
RCLs work with local partner organizations of their choosing to help our communities prepare for, absorb and bounce back better following natural disaster events and other stressors such as the Covid 19 pandemic so we can address these challenges together as a stronger one island ‘ohana that cares for all. (See Ola O’ahu Resilience Strategy to learn more about the City and Countyʻs plan for supporting resilience on Oʻahu).
The RCL program is the foundation of service in action as we strive for the highest to fulfill the Kapiʻolani Community College Ala Nu‘ukia Mission through the Community Engagement for Resilient Neighborhoods (CERENE) lab to enhance community-based student learning through service learning, undergraduate research and internships focused on building resilience in O‘ahu neighborhoods and communities.
We are now have over 7 cohorts of Resilience Corps Leaders. You can learn more about them here!
Resilience Corps Leaders receive leadership training and 1:1 mentoring throughout the program to support them in professional development and achieving their career goals. RCLs also complete two community resilience trainings and receive a FEMA Community Resilience Certificate upon completion of this award program.
The RCL Award Program supports the Kapiʻolani Colleges Sustainability Certificate Program. Students may combine the RCLA Award Program with their Sustainability Certificate Capstone course to receive Service-Learning Credit for their coursework! More information about the Sustainability Certificate Program can be found HERE.
CERENE Resilience Corps Leaders (RCLs) can choose from three pathways. HLC RCLs work with Oʻahu resilience hubs on community preparedness and service projects. X-GEN RCLs partner with kūpuna to gather stories of resilience and turn what they learn into community action. ʻĀina RCLs support biocultural restoration through volunteer leadership, fieldwork, and storytelling. Across all three pathways, students build practical skills while contributing to community resilience. These three pathways represent our program’s leadership pathways. If students are interested in gaining research expereince they can apply through the CERENE Lab to bring their community-engaged action into TI-PAR (our lab’s methodology) –> and grow their research skills in addition to developing into next generation leaders!
Ready to apply to become an RCL?
We are accepting applications now for our upcoming cohort.
Additional Links:
Resilience Corps Leaders Campus and Community Project Partners
Resilience Corps Leaders Final Projects
The Resilience Corps Leadership Award Program was made possible through funding from our generous donors Hawaiian Electric and State Farm. We are always seeking ways to support and expand the program. Please let us know if you would like to sponser or support student leaders! Email us at cerene15@hawaii.edu for more information on how to donate.
