Ho‘owaiwai Network Kohala Collaboration
Building on the work of network partners–including a diverse coalition of nonprofits, government departments, social service agencies, and businesses–HACBED worked to determine the feasibility of expanding and deepening the impact of the Hoʻowaiwai Network by conducting a planning process with support for potential pilots in collaboration with partners in North Hawaiʻi. The planning process included the development of a coalition of partners in North Hawaiʻi with an end goal of developing an Action Plan and facilitating evaluation planning for partner integration of 2Gen outcomes and data sharing.
Utilizing core Design Thinking concepts, preliminary outreach was conducted to gain a better understanding of community needs. Understanding that empathy is the foundation of community-centered design, it was important to engage with end-users. Through this process, partners emphasized the need for service provision and resource sharing in North Hawaiʻi. Fittingly, the Hoʻowaiwai Network has 2 initiatives that were piloted to meet this need: HoloMUA and Resources Match. HACBED leveraged Network partners to provide rotating HoloMUA services in Kohala and provided training and updates to Resources Match.
This multi-level approach to improve access to resources and collaboration in North Hawaiʻi provides opportunities for families, adults, and children together, to access empowering resources.