Penn Hawai'i Youth Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 organization established in 2004 to serve at-risk youth by inspiring them through martial arts way.

Historically martial arts have served as one of the best ways to instill respect, discipline, spirit, and humility in youth.
Culturally, it is deeply ingrained in Hawai'i's diversity with each culture bearing pride to the martial srt they identify with. It is this same tradition that Penn Hawai'i Youth Foundation bases their program & mission of encouraging positive values in Hawai'i's youth through the martial arts way as well as through cultural identification.

Renowned Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athlete and decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt BJ Penn and his brothers have been offering Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA training to the Big Island community since 1998. BJ recognized the positive impact that training in martial arts had on serveral of his at risk students when they were able to turn their lives around for the better. As a hero figure and role model for many of Hawai'i's youth, BJ felt that it was his "kulleana" (Responsibility) to give back to the community and culture from which he was born by establishing an organization that would reach out to the youth who needed it most.