The Post-High School Internship Program

The Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation Post-High School Internship Program offers individuals a meaningful, hands-on learning opportunity while supporting environmental education, sustainability, and community resiliency in Hawaiʻi. Interns choose one of 3 primary focus tracks—Farm Focus, Social Enterprises, or Creative Contribution based on their interests, academic goals, and organizational capacity. Each track allows students to work directly with KHF staff to develop specialized knowledge and skills in their chosen area while also contributing to the broader mission of the organization.

Regardless of track, all interns gain cross-functional experience by participating in organization-wide activities such as farm workdays, community events, educational programming, and sustainability initiatives. Through this integrated approach, interns build a strong foundation in place-based learning, nonprofit operations, and the values of mālama ʻāina (care for the land), food justice, community engagement, and waste reduction. Interns are encouraged to explore the interconnections between people, place, food, and waste while learning how to lead and inspire change within their communities.