Creative AI Accelerator FAQ — RiseHI Collective

Creative ai accelerator program: Frequently Asked Questions

It’s an 8-week paid summer program where a small group of young people learn to use the latest creative AI tools to tell real stories that matter. This summer, we’re bringing two kūpuna stories to life: one about Pearl Harbor, one about a family’s stand to take back Mōkapu in 1976. You’ll learn the tools, work in a team, and come out with a professional portfolio piece.
RiseHI, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organization founded in 2016 dedicated to empowering local youth to envision and build futures for themselves here at home. This specific program is funded by the Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation.
Creative AI is a new category of tools that let you generate images, video, voices, and music from written prompts. We’ll primarily use Higgsfield AI, which combines several of the best models (Kling, Veo, Nano Banana, and others) in one platform. Think of it as having a film studio in your laptop.
A little of both. You’ll be paid a $1,000 stipend when you finish, so we treat it like paid work. You’re expected to show up, hit deadlines, and deliver. But we’re also teaching you a new craft from the ground up, and we’ll treat you like someone who’s learning, not performing.

No. This program is about giving young Native Hawaiians the skills to participate in an industry that’s already changing whether we want it to or not. The students who learn these tools now will be the ones working alongside, and hiring, human creatives in five years. Sitting it out doesn’t protect anyone’s job. It leaves our young people behind.
Every piece we produce is clearly labeled as AI-assisted. The kupuna’s voice and story are always real and always identified. The visual recreations are made transparent so no one mistakes them for archival footage. We treat that transparency as non-negotiable.
AI doesn’t replace traditional documentary methods. It adds to them. Archival footage, interviews, and traditional cinematography are still the foundation. AI lets young storytellers visualize the personal, intimate scale that archives rarely capture: what one kupuna remembers about one afternoon, what their family saw from inside their own yard. Pairing those AI-generated visuals with real interviews and real archival material gives community stories the kind of visual depth they often go without.

Young people in Hawaiʻi who are curious about storytelling, AI, video, and creative work, and who want to learn how the creative industry is changing. Preference is given to Native Hawaiian applicants, per our funder’s guidelines.
Preference is given to Native Hawaiian applicants, but anyone 15–26 can apply. Be honest about your identity on the application — we’re not checking anyone’s family tree, just trying to serve our community.
You need to be between 15 and 26 by June 1, 2026. That range is wider than most programs on purpose — we want high schoolers, college students, and early-career young adults learning together.
No. We’ve designed the program for beginners. What we do want is curiosity, consistency, and the willingness to try things that might not work the first time.
No. Working, in school, taking a gap year, between programs, all of it is fine. We just want you to have the time and commitment to show up.
Yes. The program is primarily virtual: weekly Zoom sessions and async work you can do from anywhere. We have two in-person gatherings on Oʻahu (kickoff and showcase) and a travel support fund to help neighbor island participants attend. Don’t let location hold you back.

Monday, June 1 through Friday, July 24, 2026. The final showcase event is the last week of July.
About 7–9 hours per week, for a total of roughly 50–70 hours across the 8 weeks. That includes a live 2-hour Zoom session, a short team check-in, and async production work you do on your own schedule.
That’s normal. Most of the work is asyncronous. The one thing you’ll need to protect is the weekly 2-hour Zoom session. Missing those hurts you and your team. We’ll finalize the day/time in Week 1 based on what works for the cohort.
We need you for the 8 program weeks (June 1 – July 24) plus the showcase event the last week of July. If you have a big trip or obligation during that window, tell us in your application. We’d rather know up front.

Yes. It’s paid on successful completion of the program. This means you attended, contributed, and helped your team deliver the final piece. It’s structured this way so the stipend represents paid work, not a signing bonus.
A laptop (Mac or PC) you can use for the full 8 weeks, and reliable home internet. That’s really it.
The main tool is Higgsfield AI. It’s where you’ll generate images and video clips. You’ll also learn the basics of shot planning, sound design, and production workflow. The editing software (Adobe Premiere Pro) is handled by your leads, so you won’t need to learn that.
No. RiseHI covers all tool subscriptions for the duration of the program.

You’ll be part of a team of 5 producing one of two short films that bring a real kūpuna’s story to life. You’ll generate AI imagery and video that becomes the visual backbone of the final piece, which premieres at a public showcase event the last week of July.

A RiseHI Creative AI Certificate, a $1,000 stipend, a professional portfolio piece you helped produce, real hands-on experience with the tools reshaping the creative industry, and a network of mentors and peers who are building in the same space.
That’s one of the explicit goals. Creative AI is an in-demand skill right now, and with a portfolio piece in hand and real training, you’ll be positioned to pitch for paid work in video, marketing, content, and beyond.

Friday, May 15, 2026.
Complete the application form on risehi.com/creative-ai-accelerator. It takes about 6–8 minutes.
We’re picking a cohort of 10, not the “top 10.” That means we’re looking for a mix of ages, islands, backgrounds, and perspectives. Curiosity, honesty, and commitment matter more to us than having the fanciest portfolio. We can teach the tools.
We’ll notify applicants by Friday, May 22, 2026.
Email Ryenne at ryenne@risehi.com. A real person will write you back.

Supported by the Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation