Teacher Workshop - Carrying Culture: Micronesia

This workshop is open to all Hawaiʻi primary and secondary school teachers, offering lessons in curriculum, hands-on cultural activities, and exchange with fellow teachers, guest artists, and specialists. Staff and administrators are welcome.

Funding is available for neighbor island teacher airfare and lodging. Snacks and meals provided (vegetarian options available).

Registration deadline: October 14th, 2026

Registration fee: $25

An immersive K-12 teacher workshop empowering educators to integrate the rich history, vibrant arts, cultural traditions, and living stories of Micronesia directly into their classroom curricula, Carrying Culture: Micronesia will be held in conjunction with the Ocean of Peace exhibition at the East-West Center Gallery.

This one-day workshop will provide educators with insights into the cultures of Micronesia, context around Micronesian migration to Hawai‘i, and active-learning strategies that help students sustain their cultural and linguistic heritage. The strengths-based approach of this workshop helps educators to, in the words of the Multilingualism for Equitable Education Policy, “embrace, promote, and perpetuate multilingualism and multiculturalism to support and advance learners, families, and communities.”

The workshop, which brings in experts and leaders from the Micronesian community, also serves as a means of connecting educators with a broader network of support.

Workshop goals include helping educators:

• integrate art into the curriculum
• better understand the perspectives of Micronesian students and families
• develop an understanding of culturally responsive and culturally sustaining teaching, including strategies that support multilingualism

Participants will explore the historical, ecological and political contexts surrounding

Micronesian migration to Hawai‘i, and the continental United States and expand their understanding of shared cultural values within Micronesian communities in Hawai‘i through a variety of activities (gallery walk, hands-on art-making, presentations, videos, panel discussions, and enjoying traditional culinary offerings).

Tentative schedule below, subject to change.

Developed in partnership between the East-West Center Arts Program and the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council (PAAC), these workshops are designed to support, inspire, and equip Hawai'i’s teachers with globally-themed curriculum ideas, classroom skills, and community resources necessary for teacher and student success.

Supported by generous donors to the East-West Center Arts Program and Pacific and Asian Affairs Council.