Treehouse Talks is a community that meets together weekly to connect with peers, learn diverse ideas and leave the meeting more aware of various topics, explains its Instagram account @tree.house.talks.
The talks first started in Provo, Utah, but has expanded to five new locations including Rexburg, Idaho; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Park City, Utah; and now Laie.
The Laie group had its first event on Naniloa Street on Feb. 2. Strings of lights were strewn on the ground of a backyard and a projector and microphone were set up for speakers and performers. To learn more, go to Instagram @treehousetalks.laie.
The Laie group's first Instagram post says, “Laie ohana! Treehouse Talks is a place to build relationships and make unexpected new ones. Come and hear messages from friends from all over. Families, community members, students, anyone is welcome!”
Sydney Short, a junior majoring in intercultural peacebuilding from Seattle, Washington, helps organize the events. She said the purpose of Treehouse Talks is to bring “people from different backgrounds and different cultures to share personal experiences that can inspire others and bring the community together.”
Jonah Gunter, a sophomore majoring in intercultural peacebuilding from Kaaawa, Hawaii, is another organizer of the event.
He said Treehouse Talks is all about creating a “space where people can talk about things they’re passionate about.” The Laie and BYU–Hawaii communities are diverse and want to capitalize on that, Gunter explained, by bring people together to hear each other’s stories and grow together.
Bridging the relationship between community and students
Short said it took months to get Treehouse Talks in Laie going because she and Gunter wanted to make sure the local community was okay with the proceedings.
She said they reached out “to some kupuna in the community … to make sure [students] were respecting Laie because [they’re] guests here.”
Eventually they want to include the community aunties and uncles to “bridge the relationship” between students and the community, Short shared.
Gunter explained each Treehouse Talks location has a unique feel, which is something the Treehouse Talks founders celebrate. In Laie, there are four speakers and one musical number. In addition, each performer is given a lei, which is a touch that only happens at the Laie Treehouse Talks.
Treehouse Talks Laie first meeting focused on overcoming trials
About 50 people attended the first Treehouse Talks in Laie, which is a number Gunter hopes to increase; making it a place for people to network, he said.
Ethan Miller, a senior from Laie, Hawaii, majoring in film, said he got involved in Treehouse Talks because of his interest in experience design, a discipline that creates experiences for people to learn and grow. Treehouse Talks, he explained, is a really great example of experience design.
Alumnus TK Ford from Laie, Hawaii, was the first speaker of the first Treehouse Talks in Laie. He said he heard about the event from Miller and Short and thought it was a good opportunity for the community and the school to connect.
During Ford’s talk, in which he told his story of picking a major three years into college, he asked audience members what they thought they have been “uniquely prepared for in life” and then to do that as their career. For Ford, it was intercultural peacebuilding, a degree he said he now has.
Next on the list was Mari Kojima, a senior majoring in intercultural peacebuilding from Sapporo, Japan. She talked about relationships and seeing others as God’s children. Of the event, she said, “It was cool to be able to share my story with people from backgrounds.”
Following Kojima was a musical performance by Kaleah Liechtry, a junior communications major from Provo, Utah. She sang and played the ukulele to two original songs. Before the performance, she said she had no nerves because she was so excited. “I used to do gigs. It’s fun. I feel lucky.”
Alumna Nadia Pinto, from Brazil was the third speaker who spoke about overcoming trials. After not getting accepted to BYUH many times, she said she felt prompted to apply again. To her surprise, she said, she was accepted. For her, she was accepted at “the right time and the right moment.” She said she has now graduated, got married and is expecting her first child.