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Aloha Wisdom Circles ‘Ohana- This year, with the hiring of some essential roles and deepening of our pilina across the team and islands, we’ve truly encouraged each other’s growth. Through our own participation and practice, we've used creative expression to stay afloat and re-imagine how to serve our mission. I believe Wisdom Circles Oceania is creating something genuinely different. From the culture of our organization, exploring what shared leadership can look and feel like, to the intergenerational expressive and culturally rooted programs we offer. 2025 has been a really challenging year for anyone committed to healing work. In serving vulnerable communities, we are witnessing so many injustices being committed every day, and as services get stripped away it can feel like staring down a black hole of needs. As a team, we face the reality that to hold space for others, we must also tend to our own exhaustion, grief, and healing. We need to remind each other how to rest, to lower the pressure, to cry, to laugh. Itʻs a serious practice to show up every day, to show aloha, to still believe in and create the change we wish to see. In the work we do to support fire recovery on Maui we are seeing a pull back on funding services, but still the majority of people without their basic needs being met. We see that ohana-centered gathering spaces that inspire and uplift communal care are critical when mental health is continually threatened. It's also so important to keep steady programming to our Kānaka ʻŌiwi, LGBTQI+/māhū communities in the face of scarcity and threats to safety. We have some truly exciting ideas and projects planned for next year, including a celebration of the growth of emerging community artists. Our team is witnessing powerful artistic development among young artists in the Lāhainā community, as well as mākua and kūpuna who previously never saw themselves as creative. This work brings hope and joy, and we look forward to showcasing some of their art in the coming year. We will be expanding our summer offerings for youth development on Oʻahu and Maui, as well as remaining consistent with our fire recovery spaces for survivors and community workers. Importance of Diversifying our funding: Diversifying our funding allows us to remain responsive to community needs in an increasingly unstable nonprofit grant landscape. Support from values-aligned individuals and businesses helps ensure our programs remain accessible, consistent, and rooted in community care. It directly sustains programs that reduce isolation, support mental health, and create spaces of hope-- especially for youth and families navigating ongoing challenges. Mahalo to the many hands that support us. We are so possible together. If our work has inspired you, I ask you to consider donating so we can continue. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to cover lāhui healing arts events in 2026. Your support doesn’t just fund programs, it sustains the most incredible team who finds joy and inspiration in doing it.
Sierra Dew, Executive Director & Founder
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