May/June 2012: First Nations Supports Native Hawaiian Financial Literacy

Financial education that is timely, relevant and actionable proves to be the most effective, according to research. First Nations Development Institute has created or sponsored curricula that meet those criteria in the lives of Native youth.  They are relevant, interactive and presented in a multimedia format.

So as part of our outreach, and with support from the Kalliopeia Foundation, we provided a grant of nearly $20,000 to Hawaiian Community Assets, Inc. for a project aimed at instilling financial literacy into 150 Native Hawaiian teenagers, ages 13 to 17. Hawaiian Community Assets calls the program “Strengthening Future Generations Through Culturally Relevant Financial Education.” The targeted youth also participate in other programs focused on Native Hawaiian culture and values.
The financial education project uses Hawaiian Community Assets’ culturally relevant Kahua Waiwai: Building a Foundation of Wealth, Opio Edition^©.  (“Kahua Waiwai” means "Foundation for Wealth.") An additional aspect of First Nations’ grant was providing technical assistance to Hawaiian Community Assets for training of trainers.

According to the organization, Native Hawaiians have the highest levels of poverty, unemployment and incarceration of any ethnic group in Hawaii, as well as the lowest levels of educational attainment and health.

Hawaiian Community Assets will sustain the program beyond our funding with revenue generated from sales of the curriculum, training and technical assistance contracts with other groups, and through its nonprofit lending program, Hawai’i Community Lending.

“Hawaiian Community Assets’ innovative approach to culturally relevant financial education will help ensure the economic security of the next generation of Hawaiian Natives,” noted First Nations President Michael Roberts.

“We ‘mahalo’ First Nations for its support in educating future generations on personal finance from a Native perspective," said Jeff Gilbreath, executive director of Hawaiian Community Assets. "The funds allow us to engage more of our youth and communities in hands-on, community based financial education at a time when every member of every family is being called on to do more with less."

The mission of Hawaiian Community Assets is to increase the capacity of low- and moderate-income communities and individuals in Hawaii to achieve economic self-sufficiency, with a particular focus on Native Hawaiians.

You can help First Nations in its mission. Please give generously online or through the mail.