In 2019, the Aspen Institute produced a report landscaping youth sports in Hawai‘i. The project was in partnership with the Lili‘uokalani Trust, a private operating foundation for the benefit of orphan and destitute children with preference given to Native Hawaiian children, or Kamali‘i.

Sports is and has always been a huge draw for Hawaiian children. Not a weekend goes by where you won’t see the majority of parks teeming with bright colored jerseys, screaming parents and smiling children. Drive down any street, in any Hawaiian neighborhood, on a weekday afternoon and you’ll see countless numbers of pick-up football, basketball and even baseball games being played by children as young as 5 or 6.

Since the release of the State of Play Hawai‘i report in 2019, the initiative has made significant progress in the following ways:

• The Lili‘uokalani Trust, which aims to serve Native Hawai’ian youth, has committed to building the next iteration of the leadership task force to address the gaps identified and recommendations made in the report.

• In 2025, the Lili‘uokalani Center will open as a world-class healing space in urban Honolulu, providing spaces for sports, arts, entrepreneurship and technology.

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