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Project Venture: A New Chapter for Maui’s Youth
What if adventure, culture, and play could change the course of a young person’s life? That’s the idea at the heart of Project Venture, a nationally recognized youth development program designed to support positive decision-making and build strong, confident leaders. Rooted in Indigenous values and experiential learning, Project Venture empowers youth to connect with nature, culture, and community through outdoor adventure, service, and play.
For Imua Family Services and the Paia Youth & Cultural Center (PYCC), Project Venture offers something extraordinary: a way to support Maui’s youth at a pivotal stage in life, when they’re discovering who they are and what matters to them. Together, Imua and PYCC have begun a new partnership to continue this transformative program here on Maui. And it all started with two powerful training experiences.
Laying the Foundation in Maui
In August 2025, a team of 20 staff from Imua and PYCC gathered on Maui for a three-day Project Venture Implementation Training. Facilitators traveled from New Mexico and Arizona to lead the sessions, introducing the philosophy, guiding principles, and practical tools behind the program.
The training highlighted how Project Venture weaves together team building, service learning, Indigenous culture, and outdoor adventure to create a truly preventative program for middle school youth. Staff from both organizations learned through doing—participating in games, activities, and reflections designed to strengthen trust and group bonds.
Equally important, this first training allowed Imua and PYCC to grow closer as new partners. “Project Venture training transformed what seemed like simple play into powerful opportunities for storytelling and problem-solving skill development,” said Antonio Mason, Project Venture Coordinator at PYCC. “Through play, we built trust between our group. Through trust, we explored invaluable cultural perspectives.”
The Maui training served as the scaffolding—laying a strong foundation of program knowledge while sparking ideas about how Project Venture could be used to uniquely shape to reflect Hawaiian culture and the needs of Maui’s youth.
Diving Deeper in New Mexico
The second training, held in September 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, took the experience to the next level. A small team of four—Lyn Constantino and Darris Hurst from Imua, along with Ben Rachunas and Antonio Mason from PYCC—joined Indigenous groups from New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, for an intensive four-day Facilitator Training.
This gathering was as much about connection as it was about curriculum. “My biggest takeaway was the connection that built over the course of the week,” reflected Ben Rachunas, Managing Director at PYCC. “Being in presence with people who represent not only their community, but thousands of years of Indigenous wisdom—wisdom that they were more than willing to share.”
Each day brought new experiences:
- Day One revisited foundational principles while breaking down barriers with team-building activities.
- Day Two centered on planning and facilitation—how to design youth group activities with clear objectives, framing, and reflection.
- Day Three brought the lessons outdoors with a half-day hike that modeled how youth can prepare, journey, and reflect together in nature. Along the trail, activities like the Phantom Feedback and Find Your Relatives exercises revealed how small acts of observation and affirmation can build powerful bonds.
- Day Four gave participants the chance to design and lead activities themselves, putting their new skills to the test.
For Lyn Constantino, Preschool Director at Imua, the training highlighted the program’s potential for Maui’s youth: “The Project Venture Facilitator Training was an invaluable experience. I believe Project Venture is a highly beneficial program for our keiki, particularly our Native Hawaiian keiki, strengthening their sense of place and identity. The program highlights the critical importance of fostering strong connections to their community and culture as a protective factor against challenges that may hinder them from reaching their fullest potential.”
The facilitators and trainers who guided the sessions left a lasting impression as well. “The trainers and facilitators we met during these sessions were exceptionally thoughtful, intentional, and welcoming,” said Darris Hurst, Programs and Event Coordinator at Imua. “Their dedication to creating a meaningful learning environment was evident in every interaction, and it inspired us to approach our own facilitation with the same level of care and commitment.”
Preparing to Bring Project Venture Home
The New Mexico training also marked a personal turning point. “After completing the in-depth facilitator training, we feel fully prepared and confident to lead groups through the Project Venture program,” Darris added. “I am also excited to implement some of the activities and the lessons they teach at Camp Imua next summer.”
Antonio Mason, the Project Venture Coordinator at PYCC believes that strength lies in our ability to reach youth at a moment of discovery. “Reaching middle school students at a time when they are still discovering themselves is an incredibly powerful opportunity,” Antonio explained. “Project Venture provides them not only with connections to the outdoors and cultural traditions, but also with vital interpersonal, social, and leadership skills that will stay with them for a lifetime.”
For all who attended, the takeaways extended far beyond activities and lesson plans. As Antonio noted, the similarities between Indigenous communities near and far were striking: “It was interesting to see so many similarities between Indigenous communities that feel so far away. For instance, when we closed our session, we found that many of the folks departed the same way as we do here in Hawai‘i—it’s never goodbye, always A Hui Hou.”
Looking Ahead
As Imua Family Services and PYCC reinvigorate a community-based Project Venture program here on Maui, there is a sense of excitement in the air. The program promises to offer local youth meaningful support for positive decision-making while strengthening their cultural roots and providing leadership opportunities that will last a lifetime.
“Project Venture equips youth with more than just adventure experiences; it fosters lasting personal growth,” Darris summarized. “Through its unique blend of experiential learning, cultural engagement, and skill-building, it empowers young people to develop confidence, resilience, and meaningful relationships that will positively shape their future.”
The journey is just beginning, but the foundation is strong. With two organizations working together, the wisdom of Project Venture’s trainers, and the resilience of Maui’s youth, the future looks bright.
