Youth & Future

Hawai'i's Next Generation Deserves Better

Young people in Hawai'i face three interconnected crises: a limited job market, a mass exodus of talent, and housing prices that make homeownership impossible. We have a plan to address all three.

Youth Employment Crisis

Limited options, limited futures

When you graduate high school in Hawai'i, your career options are painfully narrow: work in tourism, join the military, or leave. The state's economy offers few pathways to good-paying careers for young people who want to stay.

The Reality

  • Tourism and military dominate the job market with limited advancement
  • Lack of trade apprenticeships and vocational training programs
  • Even college graduates struggle to find careers matching their education
  • Nepotism and political connections often determine who gets hired

Our Solutions

  • Create a statewide apprenticeship program in trades, tech, and healthcare
  • Partner with employers to build career pipelines from high school
  • Attract diverse industries — tech, agriculture, renewable energy — to the islands
  • Establish merit-based hiring standards for all government positions

Youth Exodus

Families forced to leave paradise

Every year, thousands of young families leave Hawai'i — not because they want to, but because they have no choice. The cost of living is crushing, opportunities are limited, and the dream of building a life here feels impossible.

The Reality

  • Families leave despite deep roots and cultural connections to the islands
  • College degrees don't guarantee livable wages in Hawai'i's economy
  • Young professionals can earn 30-50% more on the mainland for the same work
  • The brain drain weakens communities and erodes Hawai'i's future workforce

Our Solutions

  • Reduce the cost of living through tax reform and deregulation
  • Create competitive wages through economic diversification
  • Offer student loan forgiveness for graduates who stay and work in Hawai'i
  • Invest in remote-work infrastructure to attract mainland salaries to local workers

Housing Affordability Crisis

Homeownership: an impossible dream

With a mean home price of $748,245 in Honolulu — and closer to a million in town — young people in Hawai'i face a stark reality: they may never own a home where they grew up. This is not just an economic problem; it is a crisis of belonging.

The Reality

  • Median home prices require household incomes most young families don't have
  • Rental costs consume 40-60% of many young workers' income
  • Foreign investment and luxury development drive prices further out of reach
  • Slow permitting and restrictive zoning limit new affordable housing supply

Our Solutions

  • Fast-track permitting for affordable and workforce housing projects
  • Release underused state land specifically for local family housing
  • Create first-time homebuyer programs with down payment assistance
  • Restrict speculative foreign investment in residential housing

Frequently Asked Questions

Fight for Hawai'i's Future

Young people deserve a Hawai'i worth staying in. Join the movement.