Hawaii Christian Internship Program

What do we do?

The Makanalani Internship Program is designed to give young adults a safe place to develop themselves in learning and applying servant-based skills with the hopes of advancing them as young leaders. Interns serve one another and experience spiritual, personal, & relational growth all while living in community with other interns. They are given an environment & practical resources to learn personal disciplines, daily habits, & develop their identity in Christ. Most of the service is unlike helping at a typical camp. Interns work 3 days a week behind the scenes, serving at various job sites to further the mission of Makanalani. Makanalani was created to provide a free camp experience for the youth of Kauai so that they may experience God’s love & the beauty of His creation during their stay at the Makanalani farm property Kids House.

Interns serve at the Makanalani farm property, at partnering businesses (JoJo’s Shave Ice), & participate in various outreach in local schools/churches. 

Job sites & tasks interns may serve at: 

• Production Kitchen: baking and cooking a variety of products that are sold at the weekly local farmers markets. 
• Farm Work: harvesting/cleaning/delivering citrus, helping to shepherd/care for sheep, weeding trees, landscaping shrubs & plants, mowing, landscaping around the Kids House, weed whacking, driving farm vehicles, & more.
• JoJo’s Shave Ice: working in the small businesses that help keep Makanalani running, getting to prepare the shop, make the shave ice, serving/interacting with local & visiting customers, cleaning and restocking, etc.
• Kid’s House: cleaning, restocking the rooms, facilitating games & activities during camps, & serving meals.
• Community Service: helping at local schools, churches, and businesses in the community with various tasks including cleaning, landscaping, events, etc.

What do we learn?

Interns can expect to learn about what life is like outside of their normal home/school structured environments. They learn more of what it is like to live in community with other believers; some well developed in their faith & others new & still discovering more about their faith. They are completely responsible to clean up after themselves, make their beds daily, do their own laundry, & commit to their own responsibilities & tasks throughout the program (EX: weekly cooking/cleaning schedules, chores, service day tasks, etc). They can be expected to practice/develop skills pertaining to conflict resolution, loving their neighbor, as well as experiencing various aspects of giving/receiving grace to one another.

How does it work?

We have 3 serve sessions per year, each one 3 months long (Spring & Fall) with the exception of Summer (2 start & end dates). Tuition for a serve session is currently $2,450. The tuition includes housing, utilities, 3 meals a day, & learning materials. Each week includes are variety of service work, activities, bible studies, and free time. During free time interns are welcome to use an internship vehicle (personal miles paid by interns using the vehicle) to explore the island, go to the beach, try out the local restaurants, and much more.