The demigod Māui was an orphan, a fisherman, an adventurer and a trickster. His stories, such as fishing up the islands and harnessing the sun, tell of courage, humility, and the coming of age. The stories of Māui still offer lessons to the youth of today such as respect, goal-setting, leadership, teamwork and self-worth.

The Māui Hero Project believes that everyone has a hero within. By retracing the adventures of Māui, participants come to see their lives as a story full of different characters, plots, settings and lessons. They go from playing the role of the villain or victim to coming to see themselves as the hero in their own journeys. They learn to make healthy decisions and develop the skills they need to create a positive life story.

The Māui Hero Project aims to develop youth leaders who are prepared to support each other in times of need by developing cultural, survival, first-aid, disaster preparedness and response, social-emotional coping and community service skills through the use of adventure and experiential activities based on the legendary stories of the Hawaiian hero, Māui.

The PYCC Maui Hero Project is an 8-week, adventure-driven, rite of passage program designed around the traditional stories and teachings of the Hawaiian Hero, Maui. Students register for the program as a closed, pledge class and commit to attending twice weekly, on Mondays and Wednesdays, after school until 7:00pm.

Adventures include hiking, waterfalls, paintball, archery, tracking, fire-making and more. Disaster preparedness and other first responder skills such as search and rescue and CPR/first aid are taught by volunteer professionals. Hawaiian practices such as farming and canoe paddling are taught by cultural experts. A family graduation ceremony is held at the end, complete with a highlight video that shows the student’s adventures of self-discovery.

The Maui Hero Project is led by its founder, Loren Lapow, who has a masters degree in social work and helped the program to become a national best-practice over the last 20 years.  His exceptional capacity to guide people through life challenges has helped thousands to transform their lives and go from victim/villain to hero.

Check out Māui Hero Project’s latest graduation video!