IKUNA: The Aganu’u-Based Programme Guiding Pacific Youth Back to Their Culture

“For Pacific Islanders raised outside our homelands, culture is not just heritage — it's navigation.”

The aganu’u based education programme helping US islanders connect with their culture. 

In Oakland, IKUNA is helping Pacific Islander youth reconnect to their identity through culture, education, and wellbeing.

Founded by brothers Taimani and Sione Lauti, both raised in Oakland, the programme runs year-round for students from elementary to high school. During the school year, sessions run for up to 30 weeks, with students meeting once or twice a week for literacy, cultural learning, mentorship, and leadership workshops.

Each June, IKUNA hosts a full-day summer programme with classes, sports, storytelling, and college preparation. The high school group ends the summer with a cultural and college-access trip most recently to Hawai‘i - where they lived on a university campus, met community elders, and explored ancestral knowledge and connection to land and water.

The Lauti brothers describe IKUNA as a community effort built on culture, education, and lived experience. “We are blessed to have great partnerships and a community that see the value in the work we do,” they said.

They’ve seen major changes in their students, from stronger cultural pride and confidence to better attendance and academic engagement. Many also build deeper connections with mentors and gain a clearer sense of future pathways.

“One of the most meaningful outcomes is seeing youth step into their identity as Pacific Islanders and the power that lies within that knowledge,” the team said.

For the founders, connecting to culture is essential for Pacific youth in the diaspora. They believe it provides a sense of direction and grounding in systems that don’t always reflect Pacific stories or strengths. 

“Cultural learning becomes a lifeline — a source of pride, healing, purpose, and belonging,” they said.

At IKUNA, the message is simple: knowing where you come from helps you rise. “When our young people know our roots, we rise,” they said. “To watch it happen in real time is powerful, and we’re grateful to be part of this labor of love.”