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Hopes for Ho'oikaika Partnership in 2022
Full participation on a work group and collaborative fulfillment of our strategic plan!
Deeper/better connections for partners leading to better access to resources for families.
Connections and networking.
Work closer with our families, back to groups, spending more quality time with our youth.
Strengthen the partnerships in Maui County and beyond.
Build stronger partnerships and streamline our services to benefit families.
Create connections! ❤️
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January Meeting Goals
- Share community resources and information
- Build group understanding of Ho’oikaika Partnership activities
- Discuss statewide children’s policy issues and the intersections with Maui County
- Reflect on how the Ho’oikaika Partnership can support ongoing children’s advocacy efforts
Next Ho‘oikaika Partnership meeting: Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 11:30-1pm.
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Partner Updates
Welcome new/returning partners! Noaka Ban, working in the family-based garden to table program as a student intern with Heather Greenwood-Junkermeier at UH Manoa Cooperative Extension (Kahului office, covering all of Maui County); Catherine Sorensen, DOH, Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Program; and Molly Bradley-Ryk, MPD Juvenile Crime Prevention Division.
Deb Marois (HP Coordinator) reported on follow up items from our December meeting:
- A few partners completed the online AUW211 provider form - mahalo! Is it easy? Challenging? Did you encounter any glitches? Please contact Deb with specifics about your experience.
- The Ho'oikaika Partnership's child and family needs assessment is underway! Mahalo to all partners who contributed to shaping the research questions. See The Stellar Group's research plan for details on the key questions we'll explore..
Heidi Allencastre (HP Navigator) reported that MFSS has received a VOCA grant that will support the Navigator position and provide funding for concrete family supports for the next 9 months! She will be scheduling in services to share about the updated referral process. Contact Heidi for more information or to schedule an in-service.. Congratulations and mahalo to Edel Baguio-Larena and MFSS for sponsoring this project!
Anne “Aloha” Steinke (ALU LIKE, Inc), shared that her program at distributed a thousand books across the island for children pre-k through third grade, partnering with the Native Hawaiian Library and other native Hawaiian organizations. Congratulations!
Jewelyn Kahele (DOE) shared that the upcoming science fair is looking for volunteer judges with a science or technology background.
Congratulations to The Maui Farm, recently named the recipient of a $300,000 grant through the annual Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Awards program.
Venus Rosete-Medeiros, one of Ho’oikaika Partnership’s original co-founders, announced that she has taken a new position as the CEO of Hale Kipa on Oahu. Her last day with Kamehameha Schools is 1/21/22.
Venus, you have supported so many throughout the years and you inspire us all!. We are grateful for all you have contributed to strengthening families and nurturing children on Maui. As one of the co-founders of the Ho'oikaika Partnership, your legacy will continue on. Best of luck and congrats on your new role!! We look forward to working with you in your new capacity!
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2022 Children’s Policy Advocacy Activities
Deb Zysman, Executive Director of Hawai’i Children’s Action Network (HCAN) focused her presentation on HCAN's role in supporting coalitions across the state to work more collaboratively on behalf of children and families in the upcoming legislative and election year. HCAN is Hawaiʻi's only nonprofit dedicated solely to advocating for children, addressing the root causes of poverty and inequity and developing public policies that help children and their families.
Deb reviewed the new, soon-to-be-released statewide Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Framework (slide 7), noting that the five pillars are aligned with Ho'oikaika Partnership's strategic plan. In 2022, they will be developing an operational plan with implementation details to map out how to achieve the framework's goals.
The 2022 Hawaiʻi Children's Policy Agenda contains 25 bills ideas contributed by more than 30 organizations participating in an open process. 50% of the agenda was passed last year so this is a powerful way to create change.
There needs to be at least one coalition or organization committed to working on an idea for it to be on the final agenda. This includes:
- Translating the idea into bill language
- Talking to lawmakers about the issues and answering their questions
- Making calls to local and statewide elected officials
- Tracking bill progress, and
- Attending and speaking at hearings (most important!)
HCAN is available to help support our efforts and strategize how we would get a bill passed, who could serve as a sponsor, and which committee to bring it to.
"We are the ones we've been waiting for." ~ June Jordan
Ho'oikaika partner voices are needed to enhance the safety and family strengthening areas of the policy agenda. While it's too late for legislative bills in 2022, this is a perfect time to start planning for 2023. Be on the lookout for a brainstorming meeting this summer where we can bring our legistlative ideas. In the meantime, as a coalition, we can explore:
- What are the problems we're trying to solve? and
- What are the solutions we're proposing?
Discussion Highlights:
- We are the experts in our field with credibility, influence and power. Lawmakers do not typically have that knowledge - for example, there is only one social worker in the state legislature.
- Policymakers often don't understand what family strengthening is - it's not as obvious as education or health.
- It's important to gather data and present it in a format the average person can understand.
- Not all policy solutions need to be done through the legislature. We can work at the county level and work together to change administrative procedures.
Deb shared a variety of resources for those interested in joining existing coalitions devoted to bolstering the early care and learning workforce and supporting the earned income tax credit and a living wage.
Watch the launch of the 2022 Children's Policy Agenda
Details of 2022 Children's Policy Agenda Proposed Bills
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Join the Ho‘oikaika Partnership Advocacy Committee!
Mele Andrade (Parents And Children Together and PLTI) and Tina Kiyabu-Crowell (CAMHD/Maui Family Guidance Center) are seeking interested partners to join the newly forming Education & Advocacy committee. Child Abuse Prevention month is an ideal time to share our needs assessment results and educate policymakers about the issues. We need your help to start identifying policy ideas and elected officials and administrators to invite to our April meeting.
The committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. to work on carrying out items from our strategic plan. No expertise necessary - we are taking it piece by piece and learning together. For more background, see Advocacy Committee Meeting Notes.
Please contact Mele or Tina to join the committee.
Upcoming meetings: 10 - 11 am on Feb 8, Mar 8, Apr 12, and May 10
Please download and import the iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85078561129
Meeting ID: 850 7856 1129
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,85078561129# US (San Jose)
+12532158782,,85078561129# US (Tacoma)
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Ho'oikaika Partners Discuss Needed Policy Change
Partners participated in breakout groups using the following prompts to guide their discussions::
- What system or community changes are needed to better support families?
- What would make the most difference to reduce child maltreatment?
- What supports do you need to do your job better?
Ideas that came forward include:
- Racial equity and anti-poverty work are structural problems that need change. The ability to have basic needs met like housing and food have an major impact on reducing child abuse.
- Equal access to education for 16 to 24-year-olds who often lack life supports and pathways to better paying jobs.Truancy is a red flag issue and presents an opportunity to better connect with young people and families.
- Many providers struggle to have a solid resource list and access to standard operating procedures for available programs that would enable them to better assist people in need and lead them to the next step.
- Maui doesn't have Ohana conferences for all families who are involved with CWS. Would that be helpful here?
“It's challenging as an advocate for families in a "housing focused" program to really be able to focus on anything other than "housing." The weight I see our families carry as they are struggling to stay "housing focused" is heavy. They are often times trying to balance everything and the priority of building on family is at risk, there’s so much going on for them at the same time.”
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Advocacy in Action: Lived Experience Transforms the Child Welfare System
There are currently more than 400,000 children in foster care in the U.S. Sixto Cancel, a former foster child, is on a mission to fix the system by helping families stay together. He started a nonprofit called Think of Us to collect people's stories, bring them to Washington, and advocate for change.
Watch this clip from PBS Newshour to learn more.
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Resources for Bolder Advocacy
Bolder Advocacy, a program of Alliance for Justice, helps nonprofits and foundations to advance their mission and serve their communities through advocacy. Every nonprofit can and should get involved in advocacy to help advance its mission. Advocacy shapes the public debate about issues that affect nonprofits. It’s the number one way nonprofits can focus attention on the issues they care about, and bring about real change for the people they serve.
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More Resources for Child Advocacy in Hawai'i
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