By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

The preface to the book written by a group of Papakolea teenagers includes this passage:

We fear not death of
the body, but death of
the mind.

We fear not the next
generation but a world
of ill leadership.

We fear not a progressive community
but a community who refuses
to progress.

The introduction to a later chapter goes:

Enter at your own risk.
(We tell it like it is.)

That's about as close as you can get to summarizing the work of Youth Program Specialist Charlotte Kaluna and her group of students. They defy terse description, yet they deftly put into words the pain, the frustration and the hope of their community.

Multi-Media CORE's project evoked Papakolea teens' expressions of community concerns. This photo entry is titled "Enter at Your Own Risk." Photo courtesy CORE

Really, they're there every day. And weekends. And holidays. Once, when the nonprofit educational program ran out of money, Kaluna kept working without pay for months because she couldn't fathom setting an example for the kids of walking away when things got tough.

They study video production, photography, art, public speaking, drama, dance, cultural protocol and writing. It is about leadership training and career preparation.

But even that doesn't describe what Multi-Media CORE is all about.

CORE stands for Conquerors of Righteous Expectations. The group uses words like "conquerors," "warriors," "victors," a lot. The enemies are ignorance, jealousy, betrayal and all forms of negativity that threaten to break their resolve, their families and their community.

The book, "Kukalahale," began when Kaluna asked the teens what they thought was the most significant health concern in their community. The responses came in poems, prayers, essays, photos and paintings.

"Once we saw what they were producing, we thought it warranted a book," says Adrienne Dillard, executive director of the Papakolea community educational project.

"There are subjects that a lot of us don't like to talk about," says Puni Kekauoha, staff member and mom to one of the book authors. "There's things in there about anger and jealousy and parents who leave them and molestation. It's a lot of heavy stuff that the kids are wanting to talk about and felt that, as a form of healing, we have to look at what's really going on. The kids have taken a really bold step."

One haiku called "Liar" goes:

You said this and that
but you never did
come back

Where are you Daddy?

A poem titled "Evolution" says:

Enough with the excuses
Engage the truth
Erect a pillar
Equip the youth
Evacuate your prison
Evolve the mind
Embrace your free dom
Enjoy your time

Kana'i Contemplo, 15, contributed poems, a painting and journal essays to the project. He says Multi-Media CORE has taught him that there are no limits to his future.

"My dreams used to be only little itty-bitty dreams. Things anybody can do."

Like what? "Like going to college. Anybody can do that. But I found out that there is even more for me. I can dream bigger."

Salome Asaivao, 15, puts it this way: "Think of the most, the greatest, the most wonderful thing that could happen, because that is the very least that God will give you."

Next summer, the group plans to attend a weeklong multimedia job-shadowing program at Universal Studios in California. They're also researching other places they'd like to visit. Like where? Paris is the first place they name. Aotearoa. Egypt. At this, Kekauoha and Dillard look at each other and smile. "They like go Egypt! Yeah!"

"There truly are no limits, I promise you," Kaluna says.

The initial run of the book was small, meant for just the community. Dillard is looking at ways to get the book printed in hardcover, "in a quality deserving of their effort."

Still, Kaluna emphasizes that the book is just a small part of what her "babies" can do. "This book is not their success," Kaluna says. "It is a result of their success. They're not limited to this."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.