Current Programs
From enriching community conversations to cultural workshops and performances, we offer diverse opportunities for our island communities to connect with Guåhan’s rich heritage. Learn more about the vibrant array of public programs we are currently running and how we're bringing the humanities to life.
Reimagining Guåhan
GUÅHAN CONNECTS
Our 2023 project, Reimagining Guåhan: Social Justice through a Humanities Lens, aimed to civically engage with our richly diverse community about the meaning of equality and democracy by exploring a range of important social justice issues to reimagine a Guåhan that is more just, inclusive, and sustainable. The conversations followed the civic reflection model and explored issues including migration and belonging, cultural resilience and identity, decolonization and self-determination, environmental sustainability in the face of climate change, LGBTQ experiences, and increased militarization. Learn more
Motheread/Fatheread
MOTHEREAD FAMILY LITERACY
Since 2000, Humanities Guåhan has been supporting island families through its Motheread/Fatheread Family Literacy Program. Working with a diverse group of educators to engage families through the power of books, this program is designed to strengthen bonds between parents and their children, increase adult literacy skills, promote school readiness, and encourage parents to value reading not only as an important family activity but also a pathway to additional educational and employment opportunities. Learn more
Civic Reflection Conversations
GUÅHAN CONNECTS
As part of our Guåhan Connects program, we have been hosting a series of Civic Reflection Conversations, which invite and engage diverse community members to participate in exploratory conversations that encourage deep learning and inquiry. Each conversation becomes an opportunity to gain and share knowledge, raise and address critical questions on important issues, and empower one another to be civically engaged. Learn more
Community Grants
Our 2023 Community Grant Cycle offers an opportunity for non-profit organizations to receive financial support for humanities programs dedicated to empowering public audiences. Through our valuable partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Humanities Guåhan is proud to celebrate our commitment to fostering cultural enrichment, community engagement and critical conversations by providing financial support for a range of local non-profit organizations. Applicants could apply for grants of up to $15,000 in funds for humanities programming. Learn more
Art + Ideas
CULTURAL WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES
Under the NEH initiative, “United We Stand: Connecting through Culture,” HG launched an expansion of our program, “Art + Ideas,” in December 2023. The program explores the intersection of the creative arts – filmmaking, visual and performing arts, traditional art making, culinary arts, poetry and creative nonfiction – and the humanities. Through a series of immersive and experiential workshops, along with readings, conversations and presentations, HG is engaging our community on a range of social justice issues in Guåhan in order to help combat hate by fostering cross-cultural understanding, empathy, and community resilience. Learn more
Pacific Islands Humanities Network
SPECIAL INITIATIVE
A collaborative initiative led by Humanities Guåhan and its three Pacific Islands partners, Amerika Samoa Humanities Council, Hawai’i Council for the Humanities, and Northern Marianas Humanities Council, aims to create a vibrant culture of knowledge-sharing and collaboration in the humanities. With three years of supplemental funding support from NEH under the auspices of its Pacific Islands Cultural Initiative, the network seeks to elevate the voices and experiences of Pacific Islanders, highlighting the diverse cultures, histories, and contributions of these communities through an initial series of bi-annual convenings in the US continent and throughout the Pacific. Learn more
Kuentusi I Tano
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Kuentusi i Tano' (Speaking to Land) is an ongoing film series that celebrates and privileges the voices and perspectives of indigenous Pacific Islanders, and their connections, stories, oral histories and traditions related to the deep cultural meaning of land. The Kuentusi i Tano' series stems from Humanities Guåhan’s Kuentusi i Hanom (Speaking to Water) film series, which was launched in 2017 and explores indigenous connections to water. Together, these series highlight the importance of place -- inclusive of both i tano' yan i hanom (land and water) as one and the important cultural stories and voices embedded within these places. Watch here