Through a one-stop Micronesian Center, We Are Oceania (WAO) aims to support the Micronesian communities in Hawai‘i by recognizing existing and creating new programs and services to support the self-empowerment of our people in the following areas:
COFA Migrants: Developing the capacity of our various COFA citizen associations, churches to become even more effective support structures for our community and provide parental training for school involvement.
Leadership Assistance: To build a central network of Pacific-relevant, culturally appropriate, Micronesia-focused experts, necessary to support the professional development needs of service providers in the State. More>>
Community Engagement: Supporting and replicating successful COFA-led self-empowerment programs such as the Marshallese Education Day, Remathau Graduation Day, and Navigating Success: Micronesian College Student Summit, Yap Day, Celebrate Micronesia, and others.
Policy-Making: To build a partnership with an existing network of faith communities such as St. Elizabeth Episcopal Church, health advocates such as the Micronesian Health Advisory Council (MHAC), community networks such as COFA Community Advocacy Network (COFACAN), legal advocates such as the Legal Aid Society and Appleseed Center, and others who work to change unjust laws and practices that affect Micronesians in areas of health care, housing, labor, and educational services.
Nation-Building: To work closely with COFA consulate offices to improve citizen-focused programs and services that support the improvement of governments back in their home countries.
To centralize the existing and develop creative and culturally-responsive outreach programs to our COFA citizens in the areas of health, language acquisition, employment, housing, and other needs of our community.
To sponsor educational research to understand and develop Micronesian-focused educational programs that are culturally appropriate for the COFA parents and children. Using research data, WAO will develop professional development programs for local public schools teachers and administrators in culturally responsive approaches and pedagogy.
Research: In December 2015, WAO completed a study on the feasibility of establishing a Micronesian-focused charter school in Hawaii. Co-sponsored by The Learning Coalition (TLC), Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE), and Micronesians United – Big Island (MU-BI), the yearlong research involved focus groups with parents on Oahu, Hawaiʻi Island, and Maui by a team of doctoral students in the College of Education at UH Manoa. The final report entitled, “Feasibility Study for a Micronesian Culture-Based Charter School and Other Educational Programs,” can be downloaded from the WAO website. [Download Study Now]
Teacher Training: On Friday, December 4, 2015, at Kaimuki High School, WAO co-sponsored a summit focusing on the culturally sustaining ways to educate the growing population of Micronesian children in Hawaii. Funded by the Hawaiʻi P-20 Partnership for Education initiative, the summit theme, “Moving from Culturally Relevant to Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy,” brought together educators, community leaders, NGO leaders, administrators, and teachers. It involved speakers and panelists from the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at UH Manoa, the Pacific Islander Student Center at UH Hilo, We Are Oceania, and Micronesians United – Big Island. Visit: http://p20hawaii.org/coretocollege/
Youth Enrichment: Members of the WAO staff and volunteers traveled on their dime to Hilo on October 24, 2015, to serve as volunteers, speakers, panelists in the 3rd Annual Navigating Success: Pacific Islander Youth Empowerment Day (PIYED) at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The Oahu delegation included the WAO Director Josie Howard, Martin Moore from Chaminade University who now works at WAO as Senior Kokua, and Yu Suenaga from UH Manoa who is a WAO volunteer. Visit: www.navigatingsuccess.org
Technical Assistance: WAO partnered with the Pacific Focused Initiative (www.pacificfocused.org) to launch the Pacific Leadership Assistance Network (PLAN). PLAN is a network of successful Micronesians who can serve as independent consultants, trainers, speakers for organizations and agencies that support the success of Micronesian families in Hawaiʻi. Visit: www.pacificleaders.org
To develop partnership with the UH Business Center or other business incubators to help COFA citizens in utilizing their expertise and traditional skills to develop business ventures.