One Petition at a Time
Written by Eli Matola
While seemingly a word, the “Hope” in the Global Hope Club namesake actually functions as an acronym for “Hawaii Organization for Peace and the Environment.”
University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo) Political Science major Ryu Kakazu is the current president of the organization. Considering he has served the organization for five years, his position can only appear right.
Having been on campus for over 25 years, Global Hope takes the moniker of the university’s oldest club. As for what it does, every year the club produces numerous events such as demonstrations, petitions, and movie nights. Kakazu describes his group as a “successful social action group dedicated to spreading [an] awareness of social issues and fighting for democracy, the people, equality and the environment.”
To the president, UH Hilo is a place where people learn to manage their lives and community. He explains that Global Hope works well within this framework. “If the university is where we go to learn how to fix … problems, then the … club is []here to show us what [] need[s] to be fixed. We want to create vessels who practice: participation ethical decision making, critical thinking and empowerment.”
According to Kakazu, the main purpose of the club is to ensure that students will depart UH Hilo desiring to make a change in society. Indeed, Global Hope can provide them the knowledge to bring about change. A few skills which the Political Science major has gained from the organization are event creation, social issues evaluation, team building, and bureaucracy navigation.
Logo representing the Global Hope Club. Photo courtesy of Eli Matola.
When asked what the best aspect of the club is, the president answers that participating in a process which makes people and the community better off is outstanding. It is an extremely awarding aspect of the club. So far, his most memorable moment with Global Hope occurred when club members worked with people from the community to open a beach access path at Papa’ikou. The club received over 1,000 signatures on a petition requesting the County of Hawaii to purchase property and make the path.
Kakazu would like to ask every student to “think global and act local.” He means that the biggest changes we can bring about begins with our community. Students who truly want to become proponents of change can join Global Hope Hawaii Facebook page or email Kazaku at RYU333@hawaii.edu.
