Unlocking the Promise of Adolescence – Part 1 of 3

Too many young people are not only disconnected from education, training, or employment but also entangled in the justice system. How do we, as a society, see these young people? As problems to be solved? As individuals to be punished? Or as people with untapped potential, waiting for the right support, opportunities, and connections to help them thrive?

How we think about adolescence matters. Do we see it as a turbulent, problematic phase? Or do we recognize it for what it truly is—a complex yet formative stage of construction? A time when young people are building their adult bodies, identities, sense of purpose, and finding their place in the world.

But here’s the deeper question: How are we, as adults—individually and collectively—accountable to believing in our youth? How are we helping them become their best selves? Every young person deserves safe spaces to explore, learn, and even fail—without being defined by their mistakes. They need restorative ways to understand responsibility and accountability, not punitive systems that entrench harm.

Recently we welcomed Dr Shawn Kana‘iaupuni, President and CEO of Partners in Development Foundation, Malialani Kana‘iaupuni, The Hon. Judge Jessi L.K. Hall, Kapri Tulang-DeSilva, and Debi Tulang-De Silva, as they embarked on a journey across Aotearoa (New Zealand) to meet with leaders, communities, and organizations who are reimagining youth justice. They came to learn from and contribute to approaches that center healing, wellbeing, identity, and community connection, like the powerful work at Kawailoa Opportunity Youth Action Hawai’i—approaches that recognize the promise of adolescence rather than treating it as a problem.

What has surfaced, and what we must all recognize, is that Indigenous approaches hold youth accountable in ways that incarceration simply doesn’t. Accountability in Indigenous justice is restorative rather than punitive. Youth must acknowledge wrongdoing, participate in healing, and take actions to repair the harm they caused rather than simply receiving a punishment without personal growth.

Whether in Aotearoa, Hawai’i, or anywhere else in the world, young people need guidance, connection, and spaces where they can grow into responsibility rather than be cast out for their struggles.

Check back with us as we learn about Indigenous approaches applicable to a wide range of experiences of adolescence across the globe, to build systems that truly serve our youth and future thriving generations.