Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 9, 1 September 1992 — Grassroots activism pays off in CBED [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Grassroots activism pays off in CBED

by Pearl Leialoha Page • .4 handful of families in Wai 'anae experimenting with backyard aquaculture has grown to 30 fcimilies using and learning technology to improve their quality oflife.

• A group of hopeful entrepreneurs in Hana found that its biggest obstacle to running individual successful businesses was the laek of a suitable loeation. They have banded together lo create a shopping center, featuring resident-owned businesses, support services and a placefor the town to gather. • Land zoned for hotel development is down-zoned lo rural use — the first-ever down-zoning in Hawai'i. Further, this East Moloka'i community convinced the owners not to build condos. They decided to build a family compound and turn the rest, 28 acres valued at $5. 75 million including eight acres ofinland bays, over to the community. h is now being used by nine farmers to grow red seaweed for market. When an adjacent property with a store and certified kitchen became available, the community acquired it as well.

These are but a few of the community-driven initiatives aimed at creating eeonomie development that benefits the community first as opposed to a single business or industry. This philosophy supports a community's values and offers a lifestyle and legacy to the next generation. Its proponents are poised, energized and determined to see it expand. It's an idea whose time has eome — again. "This idea is not new," La France Kapaka, Arboleda. representing Hawaiian Farmers of Hanalei, told those who gathered for the First Annual Conference on Community-Based Eeonomie Development. "The Hawaiians had many work activities tied into family and spiritual values."

Colette Machado of Ke Kua'aina Hanauna Hou on Moloka'i defined community-based eeonomie development as "taking the impossible and eommitting all your effort to making it happen and ensuring that the people involved comprise the majority of the populaUon." The two-day conference was co-sponsored by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Business, Eeonomie Department & Tourism, Hawai'i Allianee for Community-Based Development and Bank of Hawai'i. It attracted three times the participants expected when it met at Tokai University Aug. 10 and 11. The Bank of Hawai'i plans to publish the preceedings. Taking it a step further The conference offered an opportunity for networking. It also took on a life of its own. In the final session conferees agreed that a steering committee was needed to take advantage of the momentum created by the conference. The committee would plan a mini-summit to educate and enlist legislative support.

You ve got to get politicians to ditrerentiate between two-to-four year political cycles and developmental cycles that run on decades," said Miehael Swack of New Hampshire College National Community Eeonomie Development Program. Government has an important role to play but ean not be the leader in community eeonomie development, he added. "Organize yourselves into a voice that ean tell government what it ean do to help you." Expert advice He also recommended creating community loan funds, credit unions or other financial institutions to show traditional capital how to deal with the different risks community eeonomie development (CED) presents. "Organize into entities that ean become players in the power arena," he said.

"OHA took the lead in planning this conference because the trustees recognize that such development is culturally sensitive and more environmentally attuned to preservation and coincides with sovereignty issues that are of special eoneem to Hawaiians,"says Linda Colburn, OHA eeonomie development officer. How big is CBED? Counting the many grassroots efforts underway is difficult, but the advisory eouneil for DBED&T's revolving CBED fund has identified 22 community projects out of the 67 proposals it received, said Bob Agres, CBED coordinator.

The total cost for all the proposed projects is about $10.7 million of whieh only $3.7 million has been requested. The CBED fund hopes to have $1 million to fund the 22 projects on six islands. These projects have attracted $5.3 million in matching funds and expect to generate 163 spin-off businesses. In addition, since CBED projects serve a dual role, eeonomie and social, their success would help reduce the need for state spending in other social program areas. A timely topic "The timing is right for CBED investment," said Bob Zdenek, Nahonal Congress for CED. Changes around the globe have created an environment open to community eeonomie development. Over 2,000 organizations nationwide have successfully eompleted CED projects, he reported. "Community eeonomie development isn't mod-

els," Swack said. "It's a process. Be eonvinced that you ean take the risk to be creative to overcome barriers, and don't believe that your set of circumstances are so uniquely different that there are no solutions. Have confidence in your ability to think things through," Swack said.

What the conference did for many people was create a "community of values," observed one participant. It struck a eommon chord, regardless of ethnic roots, profession or lifestyle. CBED is a philosophy that some believe ean lead Hawai'i into a saner future. "The present economics have not been able to provide a plaee for my community's young peple," Arboleda noted. " So I want to be able to leave my community with some kind of respect, some kind of awareness, some kind of viability that my ehildren will be able to participate in."

La France Kapaka Arboleda wants to save salt pans, lo'i and a lifestyle on Kaua"i.