What is “systemic change?”
Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua - unfolded by the waters are the faces of the flowers. Flowers bloom where the conditions are good.
ʻŌlelo #2178
We all exist in a complex system that is more than the sum of its parts. Hawaiʻi thrived when its people understood that in order for the individual parts of a system to be well, critical inputs and processes needed to create conditions in which individual parts could thrive. We use this ʻōlelo noʻeau to ground our belief that when the conditions are good, life thrives.
Systemic change consists of actions to shift the conditions that support the strengths and assets of land and people toward abundant, fruitful, successful states of being.
Our work in systemic change implies two critical assumptions: first, there is a system that currently favors the success of some at the expense of many. Secondly, we assume the system will not change by itself if left alone. Thus, we exist to create better conditions that improve life for all, because without this work, the system will continue as is.
As a group, we will work on nothing but the most difficult, enduring challenges facing our paeʻāina:
Aloha ʻāina and food security
Learning and growth across all ages
Protecting and strengthening vulnerable populations
Community-based economic development
Wellbeing of individuals, families, communities, and ʻāina