Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 10, 1 October 2011 — Native Hawaiian Convention energizes, inspires crowd [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
Native Hawaiian Convention energizes, inspires crowd
By Naomi Sodetani Powered by love of community and their culture, and their best hopes for the future, Native Hawaiians statewide are on the move and unstoppable, and their perseverance is yielding success. This was the take-home message for the more than 1,000 attendees of the 10th annual Native Hawaiian Convention held Aug. 23 to 25 at the Hawai'i Convention Center in Honolulu. "This was my first time, so I had no idea what to expect," said Richard Ha, a Big Island farmer and Chairman of Kū'oko'a Ine. "But as I walked around, what became clear to me, was here were people who took care of other people and their kuleana. That made me feel really comfortable." A staunch proponent of food security, elean energy and eeonomie self-sufticiency who presented on his efforts at the convention, Ha said, "What impressed me most was that nobody there was somebody
who said, 'No ean.' " The annual event organized by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is the largest gathering of community members, organizations, policymakers, legislative representatives, and federal agencies interested in Native Hawaiian community development. Present this year were four of Hawai'i's congressional delegates, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Hawai'i, ofticials with the Obama White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Paeihe Islanders, tribal partners and business firms. This year's theme - Lalawai Kākou, E Hana Kaiaulu (sloganized as Community Leaders and Solutions, Where Success Happens) - offered by Kumu Hula Leinā'ala Kalama Heine, aptly captured the spirit of the gathering. A succession of awards presented throughout the convention recognized Native Hawaiians' accomplishments in XI G0NVENTI0N ON PAGE 19
The Native Hawaiian Convention drew a crowd of l ,000 attendees. - Photo: Harold Nedd
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Continued from page 4 crafting innovative solutions to meet their communities' most pressing needs. OHA was one of the lead sponsors of the three-day event that featured speakers, presentations, timely policy reports, public policy plenary sessions, roundtables and workshops focused on cultural preservation, education, health, housing, eeonomie development and self-determination. The convention offered "unprecedented" opportunities for native community advocates, businesses and nonnative funders to rub shoulders and conceive of new ways to partner, said Robin Puanani Danner, CNHA President and CEO. "I just look around the room and am amazed at the level of engagement we have here between federal policymakers, businesses leaders, national philanthropic foundations and our Native Hawaiian community," Danner said. "This dialogue has provided us with additional tools and knowledge to attract resources to our Native communities." At a time of shrinking resources in the current recession, expanding native communities' access to new economic-development opportunities and alternative funding sources to jump start or sustain their work is critical. The Philanthropy Forum facilitated a dialogue between native grant seekers and key staff of heavy hitters in the philanthropic world: the Ford Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Kresge Foundation, along with Hawai'i Community Foundation. Insights into the funding process and strategies to develop successful proposals were shared, and the idea to establish a Pacific-focused fund to serve as an intermediary between big foundations and native
communities was floated. The convention showcased "our immense diversity," said Toni B issen, Executive Director of the Pū'ā Foundation. "Hawaiians are working so hard at so many different levels, and we may have our political differences, but at the core, everybody wants to move our communities forward and bring our talents to bear. That's where our desire and motivation is," Bissen said. "There's a lot of different ways to haku a lei, to serve our community." At the convention, Donna Gambrell, Director of the U.S. Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI), announced linaneial awards to Native Hawaiian organizations under the Native American CDFI Assistance Program (NACA). These grants aim to help native linaneial institutions and organizations spur loeal eeonomie growth and recovery, as well as expand access to affordable linaneial products and services. The seven NACA awardees are: Alternative Structures International of Wai'anae ($85,498); CNHA ($725,000); Hawaiian Community Assets Ine. ($130,900); and Kanu o ka 'Āina Learning 'Ohana of Kamuela ($133,700); and three credit unions serving low-ineome and Hawaiian communities. Gambrell praised the high level of innovation coming out of Hawai'i as a beacon in the fleld of community-led development. "When you're told for so many years you can't do something, people are forced to think creatively about how they ean," noted Hawaiian Community Assets Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath. The NACA grant will help HCA to strengthen its capacity to serve its clients, with a particular focus on meeting the housing needs of Native Hawaiians. In 2001, CNHA was founded by six Native
Hawaiian organizations and its flrst conference drew 200 participants. A decade later, the eouneil includes more than 150 member groups. Coming together annually provides "a good feedback mechanism to eheek back, 'OK,
what progress you made from the year before?' " said Nāmaka Rawlins, former Executive Director, now Strategic Partnerships Director, of 'Aha Pūnana Leo Hawaiian language immersion preschools. "And eaeh time, the big smile, 'Oh, so happy to see you!' " Puni Kekauoha, Executive Director of Papakōlea Community Development Corp., revelled in the "growth, the synergy that's created when you bring native people together. For me, it's a good time for us to aloha one another and share what we're doing and experiencing, our challenges, the pukas. 'Cause it's hard work and many times it goes unappreciated. People ean feel it's just them doing this work. "So we eome to be refreshed and energized, and be inspired by one another," Kekauoha said, "and this positive energy we return to our community." ■ Naomi Sodetani is afreeiance writer, documentary producer and former PubIications Editor of Ka Wai Ola o OHA.
"Hawaiians are working so hard at so many different levels... . There's a lot of different ways to haku a lei, to serve our community." — Toni Bissen Pū'ā Foundation Executive Director