Halekauwila kids get crash course on computers

Alongside the high-priced, glittering condominiums that jut skyward in Kakaako, a new 19-story earth-toned building stands out for something that passersby can’t see.

Halekauwila Place offers affordable apartments to residents who make no more than 60 percent of gross median income in Honolulu, or $57,480 a year for a family of four. And inside that secure, well-kept tower with the bright blue windows, kids are learning skills that could help them land high-paying jobs in a digital economy.

On a recent Saturday morning, 10-year-old Pono Gaby-Madina tucked his small body into an office swivel chair in the building’s “Kreation Korner,” sitting cross-legged as he and a buddy tried typing bits of code on a large-screen computer.

Most of the dozen kids in the computer lab already knew how to play Minecraft, the online game that allows players to “mine” materials and “craft” new virtual communities and landscapes. But that day they were getting a first look “under the hood” of the game, learning how the program works and how to modify its commands. Switching out one number, for example, transforms a block of oak into a box of TNT.

“Computer language is totally different from a human language,” Pono said. Raising his eyebrows, he announced excitedly to a visitor, “This class is free!”

“And it’s in our building!” added Dominic Gutierrez, also 10.

“I love it!” Pono said.

The ground-floor room at Halekauwila Place had originally been set aside as a police substation but it turned out that the Police Department didn’t need it.

So the building’s developer, Stanford Carr, created a space for the children who live in the 200-unit building, outfitting it with all-in-one computers, 3-D printers and a laser etch machine.

Staff from DevLeague LLC, including Charles Nguyen and Victor Lee, are donating their time to lead workshops for the kids. DevLeague, founded in 2013, launches adults and youth on tech careers with intensive boot camps in programming and web development.

“Our core mission at DevLeague is to raise technical literacy in Hawaii,” said co-founder Jason Sewell. “So much of it is about access. Everyone is capable, but access to materials, mentorship, that’s where the gap is.”

Carr says he was inspired by the Sullivan Center at ‘Iolani School, which focuses on innovation.

“This is a ‘workforce rental,’ so not all the kids here have the same access to technology, hardware, equipment or software as kids going to schools such as Punahou or ‘Iolani,” Carr said. “So what I wanted to do, rather than have them up in their units or in the rec room watching TV or playing video games, is to have a place where they can learn more about (how) it’s built, what’s behind it, how do they program it.”

At Halekauwila Place, the sessions are low key and engaging, with lots of give and take and questions. The kids are learning logical thinking, precision and collaboration by working with partners at each station.

“It’s very fun and creative,” said Noah Soistman, 10. “It’s the funnest class I’ve been in.”

And that was just the first day. The kids and their mentors haven’t even started using the 3-D printers, which will let them make things.

“That will be a full production process,” Sewell said. “From concept to materials. That’s invention. That’s creation. There are so many things we can do curriculum-wise.”

Halekauwila Place opened last year and has been 100 percent occupied, with a waiting list for apartments that range from $968 a month for a studio to $1,412 for a three-bedroom. The $70 million Stanford Carr Development project was financed with low-income tax credits and funds from the Hawaii Housing Finance & Development Corp., Hawaii Community Development Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.

The computer lab held its first workshop in September. Luanna Peterson, Pono’s mother, said the timing is ideal for her son, who attended the Oct. 17 class and is looking forward to the next session.

“He’s so curious about these things and so passionate,” she said. “I want to find these opportunities. When this came into the building, it was perfect — too good to be true.”

Carr sees “Kreation Korner” as an investment in Hawaii as well.

“Technology is one sector where Hawaii can export,” he said. “We aren’t exporting sugar cane and pineapple like we used to but we sure can export intellectual property, programming, applications.”

“We need to be doing more to advocate and inspire,” he added. “Now, these kids are learning three-dimensional thinking. There are no boundaries to their creativity.”