How about exploring servant leadership?

On October 20, 2015 By jandillIn Hawaiian ValuesLeave a comment

As we survey the challenges in our community in education, the economy, the environment, food sustainability, homelessness, and poverty in general (to cite a few), one can sink quickly into a state of despair. The way out is complicated and directly related to a powerful system that thrives on inertia and jealously guards the status quo.

If we turn to the Hawaiian culture for clues on how to deal with the multifaceted face of the establishment, I am struck by the power of the concept of “kuleana” as it has played in the sustaining and positive evolution of Native Hawaiian culture.

Kuleana is the term for “responsibility” and it was a concept clearly known by the Hawaiians and powerfully active in maintaining the culture’s stability while also allowing for change that would benefit the whole.

The ali‘i or ruling classes received their power from an assumed social compact with the larger governed classes. As long as they fulfilled their duties to protect and defend the community and promote it health and welfare, they were allowed to enjoy the trappings of power and prestige. Time and time again our traditions tell us that when the ali‘i failed to pursue their responsibilities, the consequences for them, were disastrous.

What lessons emerge for us as we face the daunting challenges of today’s Hawai‘i? One clear step that stands out for me is our need to get very intentional about teaching and modeling for our children the concepts and responsibilities of servant leadership, as they will continue to shape the future of our State. In this world where social isolation is growing with electronic use and fascination with technology is challenging interpersonal relationships, it is critical that we work in a focused fashion to: teach our children about the poor and needy in our communities, challenge them to be part of the solution in changing the social conditions that allow poverty and homelessness to prosper, connect them to the host culture and the rich values that have made this place a very special place, and model for them how they can become servant leaders in the social circles they inhabit. It is like periodically pouring small quantities of salt in a stew and tasting the increasing impact it can have on the whole, or lighting a small candle in a very dark room and experiencing the amazing impact of light in the darkness.

For the last three years I’ve seen a small church commit itself to holding “servant/leadership” camps for teens. Short seven to ten day timeframes are committed to sharing with the teens the poor of our city, the blight of homelessness, and the work of groups that are helping the poor find a path to success. They also “prayer walk” through public housing areas and spend time relating to the children and adults they encounter.

The impact of these camps on the lives of these teenagers has been amazing. The glimmer of servant leadership is often ignited by their brief exposure to the realities of poverty in their community and the examples of servant leaders working to help overcome these realities. It is a small step in the lives of relatively few young people, but the hope is that they will take “kuleana” and commit to being servant leaders who are salt and light to their communities. If we can challenge young people to choose to lead lives measured by what they give rather than what they gain, we will take a small but powerful step on the “pono” path towards health and resiliency for our dear Hawai‘i nei.

As Pope Francis stated in his speech to the United Nations during his recent trip to the United States, “The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic. This common home of all men and women must also be built on the understanding of a certain sacredness of created nature. Such understanding and respect call for a higher degree of wisdom, one which accepts transcendence, rejects the creation of an all-powerful elite, and recognizes that the full meaning of individual and collective life is found in selfless service to others and in the sage and respectful use of creation for the common good.”

Just think with me what a joy it would be to have true servant leaders to follow and not wannabe leaders looking for servants.

The 3 “P’s” of Transformational Change

On October 8, 2015 By pidfoundationIn Hawaiian Values1 Comment

As one surveys the daunting challenges in our communities, it is often difficult to see how true transformational change can take place. The odds are intimidating and the powers of social and political inertia won’t allow one to be overly optimistic! How do we start? How can we truly bring substantive and transformative change to the issues we face? I have no formula answers, but over the years I have been more and more impressed by the role the 3 “P’s” have in positive change. In my previous posts, I touched upon some examples of these “P’s” when I spoke about practicing our aloha and mālama to the homeless and reprioritizing our commitments in our communities. Let me share the 3 “P’s” with you in a more focused manner. Try them out. See if they can help us move the mountain of status quo we face.

The first “P” of transformation is “PASSION”. Passion for change and passion to be a part of the answer are foundational. We have to have a passionate commitment to help the poor children and families we serve. We have to join with like-minded passionate people in the labor, and we need to intentionally fan the flames of commitment and passion in our lives and in the lives of our colleagues. Without a robust passion to help the needy, we will quickly sink into disappointment and despair. With passion, we keep alive our energy and our focus on the work of change! It softens the blows of rejection and opposition and helps us to come together to solve the problems that often plague our efforts towards transformational change.

But passion left alone often becomes destructive and can lead to anarchy in our work. Unbridled and unfocused passion often leads to strengthening the status quo rather than fueling positive and significant change.

Passion needs the second “P”, “PONO”, to clearly vet and focus the energy of transformational change. “Pono” in Hawaiian is a powerful and multi-faceted concept of right relationships, righteousness, completeness, and doing what is right. It is most publicly known as part of the motto of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the State of Hawai‘i: “Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘āina i ka pono” meaning “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”, was given to us by our Ali‘i as the core anchor of our community.

Ask the simple question: “He mea pono kēia no kākou āpau?” meaning “Is this pono for everyone?” Or is this pono only for me?

“Pono” therefore should be part of our march towards transformational change. The passion of our hearts needs to be aimed at that which is “pono” for our community, that which everyone will benefit from rather than the interests of a few. The discipline of “pono” helps to keep the work of transformational change on the right road. As we make decisions about actions we are about to take, we need to ask ourselves the simple question, “He mea pono kēia no kākou āpau?” meaning “Is this pono for everyone?” Or is this pono only for me? Applying the pono question helps protect ourselves from our narrow and well disguised self-interests in our work for our communities.

Finally, as we pour our passion into what is pono, what is the third and often most important “P” in our formula for success in transformational change?

The third “P” is “PERSEVERENCE,” the commitment we need to take into any process of change that says we will not quit until the defined goal is achieved. There is a lot to persevering during times of change. Before we begin any journey of change we need to calculate the costs and understand our resources. We need to clearly understand what we have set as our goal and how to determine if we have actually reached it. We need to understand the opposition we face and the tactics and strategies we pursue. It is critical to know the resources at our disposal and how to maximize their use.In the end, however, it is a matter of having our minds set to not allow half victories to clear us from the battlefield and to have the determination to carry on when it is often dark and discouraging. What I have found encouraging in the midst of pursuing change is the image of a red, inflamed, and itchy rash. This is what we seek to become on the conscience of our community regarding the issues we are addressing. We need to make people uncomfortable, we need to have them pay attention, we want them to itch and use resources to address the rash of transformational change. Let us commit to persevere in our work, daring to be a positive irritant until change is achieved.

PASSION, PONO, and PERSEVERANCE form a very effective formula for change that will transform our lives, families and communities. Try it, you’ll be amazed and blessed!

Harnessing Homelessness

On September 15, 2015 By jandillIn Social Justice1 Comment

We are all confronted by the escalating rate of homelessness in our community. The number of people living on sidewalks has grown to the point that they become homeless communities in our midst. Our canals are lined with tents and shelters of the dispossessed. Federal officials declare they have never seen such a state repeatedly use the word “crisis” to describe it. How has our dear Hawai‘i descended to this point where homelessness, once never seen in our culture, becomes the new normal? How do we take steps to bring healing to this open sore in Paradise? How do we deal with our frustrations and angers?

There are obviously no simple one step answers. What has been going through my mind is to view homelessness as an amazing opportunity for our community to reaffirm our core culture and character.

We need to embrace the homeless, particularly the homeless families and children, as a gift to practice our aloha and mālama in ways that strengthen our communal commitment to what is pono!

I have seen glimpses of this approach through the efforts of many churches to feed and shelter the needy. I have been encouraged by the positive responses of our community in the recruitment, training, and placement of those seeking jobs and a path of sustainability. I am challenged by organizations that stand ready to help build houses for families and rehab units in low income housing facilities if given the chance. Without being Pollyanna about it, I believe the “crisis” of homelessness can bring a community awakening to the heart of aloha that is in our DNA.

Unfortunately, at least 31 cities nationwide have passed laws that restrict or prohibit food-sharing in public places, meaning those who continue to feed the homeless without following various restrictions such as obtaining permits (often for a fee), could be fined or go to jail. Fortunately for us, Hawai‘i has not yet passed such a law. Those who passed these laws believe the myth that feeding the homeless enables them to remain homeless (as opposed to the real reasons, such as lack of affordable housing, lack of job opportunity, mental health or physical disability).

We need our policy makers to help fuel a rethinking of homelessness, but it should not wait for them to do it for all of us. We can organize early education programs for homeless young children, we can provide places where homeless adults can get training and preparation for employment, we can coordinate health services beyond its present state, and we can give hope to the hopeless and meaning and focus to our frustrations with the present situation. The thought that homelessness is an opportunity is something that needs to be planted and cultivated in our minds and actions. It would be a return to our core community values.

Are we ready to risk it?

Reflections: The Choo Choo Train to Nowhere

On September 9, 2015September 14, 2015 By jandillIn Social Justice4 Comments

As a father, grandfather, and leader of a nonprofit organization, I am passionately committed to early education for our children. Unfortunately, over half of our children in Hawai‘i are not attending preschool and entering kindergarten without being able to count to five or differentiate colors. They quickly become those left behind and those that become a tremendous drag on our educational system and, later in life, our community in general. One proven avenue of dealing with this educational reality is a robust investment in early education of 0-5 year old children and their caregivers. The Federal Reserve System points to a minimum of seven dollars of avoided social costs for every dollar invested in early education. The Annie E. Casey Foundation has recently published an exhaustive study that says early education and preparing children to read at grade level by the end of third grade is crucial to success for the students, and makes a sobering statement:

92% of those not reading at grade level by the end of third grade will not graduate from high school.

Each of those represent a $2.4 million dollar cost to the community over his/her lifetime. In Hawai‘i, 70% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading (2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book). We are not alone; another community, Charlotte, North Carolina, has only forty percent of their third grade students reading at third grade level. The gap in reading proficiency between low-income and higher-income children has grown in the past decade, and Hawai‘i was found to have one of the largest increases in the nation with 83% of lower income students scoring below proficient reading level, compared to 57% of higher income students. This gap often starts early.

What does this have to do with the Choo Choo Train? Let me share with you what is happening in Honolulu. We have embarked on a very controversial $7-8 billion investment in rail transit (the final cost keeps inflating and the advantages keep getting increasingly unfocused). However, there is a total lack of comprehensive early education investment in the State.

Hawai‘i is one of 15 states with small or no state-funded preschool program.

The lower income and middle income families are the ones who suffer because of this, as they are not able to afford preschool. Studies have shown that the foundation for school and life success begins early and the impact of early investments is strongest for children facing adversity. Quality, affordable early childhood education not only benefits the child for the rest of his/her life, but has shown to return much more benefits to the community than its cost (reductions in remedial education and crime costs, increase in taxes paid; a cost-benefit analysis of the Perry Preschool study found those who attended preschool pay $38,000-$75,000 more in taxes over his or her lifespan than a child who did not attend).

For a very small fraction of the Choo Choo Train’s cost you would have a social return on investment (ROI) of significant proportions! You do the numbers. If you were an investor, which investment would you select? As it stands, we will have a very expensive, dubiously efficient, and probably little used transportation system that will be trying to move an increasingly dysfunctional community. A community beset with issues rooted to a lack of investment early on in the lives of our children and their families. What do you think? I think, shame on us!

And How Are The Children?

On August 27, 2015April 1, 2016 By jandillIn Social Justice4 Comments

Several years ago, an international expert on child welfare introduced me to how another community esteems and cares for their young. It has remained with me to this day. She pointed out that the warriors of the Maasai tribe in Africa, a nation well known for their military arts and long history of conquest, use a simple traditional greeting. They ask the question “Casserian Engeri” meaning, “And how are the children?” The Maasai understand that if the children are well, the community they live in is well. More importantly, this greeting summarizes the place children have in their communal priorities.

The Maasai understand that if the children are well, the community they live in is well.

From time to time I have turned this lesson about community priorities over in my head and have asked the question, “Why haven’t we made this part of our daily focus in life?” How have we allowed other concerns and urgencies to overshadow our commitment to our young? Today we face the consequences of this disregard in our community. Hawaiian children and children in general in Hawai‘i and elsewhere are beset by discouraging statistics. Hawai‘i is ranked near the bottom third in education nationwide and over half of our children are not attending preschool. Results from the Hawai‘i State School Readiness Assessment show that only 14.5% of kindergarten classes have at least three fourths of the children consistently displaying the skills and characteristics necessary for success in school life.

Early childhood education and school readiness are essential, as research has shown that 85% of brain development occurs by age 5.

Compounding these dismal statistics, the number of children living in poverty in Hawai‘i has increased in the past five years. These living conditions and lack of resources can have a lasting detrimental effect on children, especially homeless children. Compared to non-homeless children, homeless children are: nine times more likely to repeat a grade, four times as likely to drop out of school, three times more likely to be placed in a special education program, twice as likely to score lower on standardized tests, and have higher rates of chronic/acute illnesses, learning disabilities, and emotional or behavioral problems. Recent articles have called our community’s homeless situation “a crisis that demands action” with the children at the very center. However, no rational policy has emerged from our leaders.

Not a pretty sight. Perhaps we should think about greeting each other with “Aloha! Pehea nā keiki?” as a means of resetting our priorities as a community. The Hawaiian culture, as is true in most cultures, recognizes the critical role the care and preparation of our children have in the survival of their community. How is that played out in our community? How do we tolerate an educational system that takes significant resources and delivers questionable outcomes in the lives of our young? Why do children from dysfunctional families often end up in a harsh public child welfare system? Where is our investment in programs to prepare children and families for success? Why do we not demand outcomes with our investment in children that will sustain healthy and resilient communities? Could it be because our unspoken greetings are “…and how are the teachers?” or “…and how are the administrators?” or “…and how is the union?” or “…and how are our politicians?” and we end up relegating children, particularly poor homeless children, way down the priority list of public and private investment?

As we come together, let us ask each other, “Pehea nā keiki?” and have the courage to mean it and act upon it. Pose the question to those who represent us… let’s see their response. Perhaps sometime soon we can respond, “Maika‘i nō nā keiki!” (They are well!)

View printable version: And How Are The Children

Leaving Granny on Her Own

On August 21, 2015August 20, 2015 By jandillIn Social JusticeLeave a comment

In today’s rich ethnic and cultural mix of families in Hawai`i, there are various cultural approaches used in caring for our children; however, one commonality among many struggling families is placing the care of their very young in the hands of the older generation. Fourteen thousand children in the state are in the care of their grandparents, which is higher than the national rate. Has our state done anything to lighten the load for our grandparents, aunts and uncles who open their arms and hearts for our children while we hustle to that second job to support the family? Or while the parents struggle with drug/alcohol dependency or are in prison? The answer is NO. As struggling families try to protect and nurture their young, our policy makers have refused to provide resources to train caregivers or give them and their children programs to prepare both demographics for success in caregiving and in school. We’ve left Grandma and Grandpa on their own with their moʻopuna (grandchildren), and have left them to fend for themselves.

We’ve left Grandma and Grandpa on their own with their mo`opuna (grandchildren), and have left them to fend for themselves.

It is interesting to watch “professionals” in early education turn away from Family Child Interactive Learning models (FCILs). Despite clear documented evidence of the power of these programs to bring transformational change in the lives of the caregivers and children involved, they are often branded with the pejorative title of “play groups” and dismissed from serious study or support. In extended families, trained elders can have a significant positive impact in the lives they directly oversee and also in the lives of the extended family as they give advice and counsel to the other adults. It is an opportunity to harness traditional structures to address contemporary challenges with our young children and their caregivers. Don’t leave Granny on her own. Get resources to help her be an amazing first teacher of the children she loves. Bring policy makers to the understanding of how efficient and successful the FCIL model is for early education outside of formal schooling!

I have recently been told that our Governor has decided to move early education into his office, and marginalize the external advisory body (Early Learning Advisory Board) that has been working for years to help formulate both public and private programs for early education in our state. Wrong move. Good political move, however, as the teachers’ union is insistent that early education must be a part of the public, unionized system. Unfortunately, now non-profit programs that empower and equip our older generation in their roles as the children’s first teachers are ignored and early education is swept into a public system that has yet to prove it is worth the tremendous amounts of money our community invests in it. Our Tūtū are again left on their own and politics again trumps the welfare of our children. Shame on us.

Hawaiian values: Are they real and/or relevant to us?

On August 6, 2015August 13, 2015 By jandillIn Hawaiian Values1 Comment

Above me along the walls in my office march the five Hawaiian values Partners in Development Foundation has claimed to define who we are: aloha, lōkahi, mālama, pono, and po‘okela.

As Partners in Development Foundation was formed, it was very clear that we wanted to have traditional Hawaiian values and perspectives at the heart of the organization. Thanks to the help of language and cultural experts we came to the choice of the above five values and then began our journey.

Throughout the years, we have learned the power of traditional values and perspectives and have become aware of the importance of making them practically applicable to the challenges of our clients. As the Foundation continues to expand and as we deepen our involvement in the community, these five values have also become a growing challenge to us as we serve our community. I feel continually challenged to ask: are these values just cosmetic treatments to cover our tendency to use modern organizational principles, or are they truly the core and anchor values for our lives, our organization, and for the work we are committed to do with the children and families we serve? Big and unnerving questions.

What does “aloha” look like if I don’t like you?

For example, considering “aloha”, I must ask how this foundational value manifests itself in the life of the Foundation, in the ways we interact with each other and with the communities we serve? Further, in claiming this value professionally, I am pushed to ask how aloha appears in my daily behavior, thoughts, and particularly, in my personal engagement with others. For example, what does “aloha” look like if I don’t like you? Or if I don’t believe in what you are trying to do? As you can see, the process of putting Hawaiian values as a proclaimed set of anchors for an organization quickly intrudes into our personal lives and behavior. We are challenged to get serious about the values we have proclaimed as the “organizational language and culture” of the Foundation; our behavior should demonstrate to those watching that the core values are alive and that they are the framework in which we relate to each other and those we serve.

If they are not clearly present, we need to continue to challenge one another to make it so.

While this challenge perpetually stands before us, at the same time, this is an empowering moment when we see how relevant and useful these values are in facing individual and organizational challenges and opportunities of the 21^st century. As we practice, we are undeniably tied to the kūpuna and traditions of Hawai`i nei. A most worthy and necessary task, but not an easy one!