Posts tagged #OneStrongOhana
From Reunion 4: Protective Factors for Strengthening Families
Jul 17th
This article appeared in Issue No. 4 of Reunion, Joyful Heart’s magazine. To read more of this issue online, click here. To get on the mailing list to receive future issues, we welcome you to sign up here.
Protective factors are conditions in families and communities that, when present, increase the health and well-being of children and families. They are attributes that serve as buffers, helping parents who might otherwise be at risk of abusing their children to find resources, supports or coping strategies that allow them to parent effectively, even under stress.
For years, researchers have been studying both the risk factors common among families experiencing abuse and neglect and those factors that protect families who are under stress. There is a growing interest in understanding the complex ways in which these risk and protective factors interact—within the context of a child’s family, community and society—to affect both the incidence and consequences of abuse and neglect.
Why Focus on Promoting Protective Factors?
Research has found that successful interventions must both reduce risk factors and promote protective factors to ensure the well-being of children and families. Focusing on promoting protective factors is a more productive approach than reducing risk factors alone.
- Protective factors are positive attributes that strengthen all families. A universal approach helps get needed support to families who may not meet the criteria for “at-risk” services, but who are dealing with stressors that could lead them to abuse or neglect.
- Focusing on protective factors, which are attributes that families themselves often want to build, helps service providers develop positive relationships with parents. Parents then feel more comfortable seeking out extra support if needed. This positive relationship is especially critical for parents who may be reluctant to disclose concerns or identify behaviors or circumstances that may place their families at risk.
- When service providers work with families to increase protective factors, they also help families build and draw on natural support networks within their families and communities. These networks are critical to families’ long-term success.
Which Protective Factors Are Most Important?
Research has also shown that the following five protective factors are linked to a lower incidence of child abuse and neglect:
Nurturing and Attachment
A child’s early experience of being nurtured and developing a bond with a caring adult affects all aspects of behavior and development. When parents and children have strong, warm feelings for one another, children develop trust that their parents will provide what they need to thrive, including love, acceptance, positive guidance and protection.
Knowledge of Parenting and of Child and Youth Development
Discipline is both more effective and more nurturing when parents know how to set and enforce limits and encourage appropriate behaviors based on the child’s age and level of development. Parents who understand how children grow and develop can provide an environment where children can live up to their potential. Child abuse and neglect are often associated with a lack of understanding of basic child development or an inability to put that knowledge into action. Timely mentoring, coaching, advice and practice may be more useful to parents than information alone.
Parental Resilience
Resilience is the ability to handle everyday stressors and recover from occasional crises. Parents who are emotionally resilient have a positive attitude, creatively solve problems, effectively address challenges and are less likely to direct anger and frustration at their children. In addition, these parents are aware of their own challenges—for example, those arising from inappropriate parenting they received as children—and accept help and/or counseling when needed.
Social Connections
Evidence links social isolation and perceived lack of support to child maltreatment. Trusted and caring family and friends provide emotional support to parents by offering encouragement and assistance in facing the daily challenges of raising a family. Supportive adults in the family and the community can model alternative parenting styles and can serve as resources for parents when they need help.
Concrete Supports for Parents
Many factors beyond the parent-child relationship affect a family’s ability to care for their children. Parents need basic resources such as food, clothing, housing, transportation and access to essential services that address family-specific needs (such as child care and health care) to ensure the health and well-being of children. Some families may also need support connecting to social services such as alcohol and drug treatment, domestic violence counseling or public benefits. Providing or connecting families to the con- crete supports that families need is critical. These combined efforts help families cope with stress and prevent situations where abuse and neglect could occur.
These protective factors are critical for all parents and caregivers, regardless of the child’s age, sex, ethnicity or racial heritage, economic status, special needs or whether he or she is raised by a single, married or divorced parent, or other caregivers. All of these factors work together to reinforce each other; for example, parents are more likely to be resilient in times of stress when they have social connections and a strong attachment to their child. Protective factors can also provide a helpful conceptual framework for guiding any provider’s work with children and their families and have been at the forefront of recent child abuse prevention public awareness campaigns. ♥
From Reunion 4: Founder’s Corner – A Note from Mariska Hargitay
Jul 11th
Welcome to our fourth edition of Reunion.
In this issue, we turn our attention to child abuse and neglect, and our collective efforts to heal, educate and empower future generations. As the mother of three kids, this issue is near and dear to my heart. And I think it will touch the heart of anyone who has ever looked at a child and thought, “I want nothing but the best for you.”
The unfortunate reality is that each year, hundreds of thousands of children are abused and neglected. In most cases, the perpetrator is someone close to them. Each day in the United States, more than four children die as a result of abuse and neglect. More than three-quarters of these children are under the age of five. More than 40 percent of young victims won’t live to see their first birthday. And over 15 million children witness violence and abuse in their homes each year.
Those who do survive the abuse are likely to experience lasting effects. Research has found that abused and neglected children are at least 25 percent more likely to experience problems including delinquency, teen pregnancy, low academic achievement, drug use and mental health issues.
At Joyful Heart, we believe that through intervention and holistic support services, education and awareness, community engagement and public-private partnerships, we can end the cycle of violence and abuse.
Through our collective participation in research studies and public awareness campaigns, Joyful Heart has long been involved in spreading awareness about the signs of child abuse and neglect, and in fostering public dialogue and engagement with this issue.
I will never forget the story that catalyzed my activism around this issue.
In January 2006, a 7-year-old girl named Nixzmary Brown was beaten to death in her home in Brooklyn, New York. She weighed just 36 pounds. She had missed weeks of school in the months leading up to her death. She often had cuts and bruises and vague explanations—another fall, another accident. Home was an unspeakable horror for Nixzmary—but somehow, so many caring adults in her community missed or ignored the signs of her abuse.
In response, I became the face of an extensive public awareness campaign launched by Safe Horizon in March 2006, which proclaimed as its rallying cry: Turn Your Outrage and Grief into Action.
In 2008, Joyful Heart evolved its mission to include child abuse and neglect to reflect our growing education and awareness work in this area. Later that year, we partnered with Safe Horizon and Redbook magazine on a special child abuse awareness issue. Joyful Heart also joined Hope Shining, a national initiative to increase awareness, prevention and support services for children, families and communities affected by violence and abuse.
Most recently, we joined in a groundbreaking partnership with the Hawai‘i Children’s Trust Fund in 2010 to study the feasibility of a comprehensive child abuse awareness campaign in the state of Hawai‘i—Joyful Heart’s birthplace. Through this partnership, Joyful Heart commissioned research demonstrating the prevalence of child abuse in Hawai‘i, and earlier this year, we launched the culmination of those efforts: the One Strong ‘Ohana campaign. It is the most comprehensive child abuse prevention and public awareness campaign in the history of the state of Hawai‘i.
Turning our attention and resources to this issue has been hugely rewarding. Through campaigns like One Strong ‘Ohana, we are seeing that when communities get involved, they can help to nurture and strengthen families and keep our children safe. At Joyful Heart, we believe child abuse is preventable, and that the best hope we have of realizing our vision of ending violence and abuse is to break the cycle before it begins.
I invite all of you to explore this magazine as we share it with you online over the course of the coming weeks, learn more about this important issue and then join me in our work to protect the most precious resource we have—our children.
The 2012 Joyful Revolution Gala: A Revolution for the Next Generation
May 21st
I often find myself in awe, but somehow not totally surprised, that turning towards the issues sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse is often so hopeful, so joyful. Maybe you sometimes find yourself thinking the same. It’s often inexplicable, or at the very least, difficult to put into words as to why this is. And it can certainly be a strange thing to feel—and to write at this very moment—but it’s true. And last Wednesday evening was no exception.
That evening, a dreary, rainy one, the Joyful Heart Foundation staff, Board of Directors and hundreds of supporters gathered in downtown New York for the Fifth Annual Joyful Revolution Gala. And joyful it was. But this time, I knew why. This feeling of joy and of hope wasn’t inexplicable, it was right in front of us…all around us. It was in the voices of the choir full of young people whose powerful voices filled the room. It was in the stories of the young students who spoke up about how they do their part to turn towards these issues by speaking up, volunteering and rallying their classmates, teachers and school administrators to do the same. It was in stories of those who spoke of Joyful Heart’s work, like the groundbreaking One Strong ‘Ohana campaign to prevent child abuse and neglect in Hawai‘i, or NO MORE, a movement to end domestic violence and sexual assault. It was in the two pioneering honorees of the evening, Jane Randel and Grace Brown. Jane Randel recognized the importance of addressing teen dating violence and led her company, Liz Claiborne Inc., in doing something about it before I myself was even a teenager, funding prevention programs and overseeing the revolutionary Love Is Not Abuse program. Grace Brown, at just 19 years old, is turning the tables of sexual assault upside-down, helping survivors take back the power stolen from them during their abuse and showing it to the world through photography in Project Unbreakable.

At the entrance to the 2012 Joyful Revolution Gala. Grace Brown's photography was featured throughout the evening. Photography by: Michael Webber.
Here’s what I’m getting at: this joy was so palpable because the faces of those who are working so passionately for a world free from violence filled the room, personifying our hope for a safer world, a more supportive world, a better world. And that’s what and who we were celebrating at our Joyful Revolution: those who Rise Up for Children and Teens.

The front of this year's Joyful Revolution Gala program. This year's theme was RISE UP FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS.
There are so many who do that every day through their unwavering leadership and steadfast support of our work, all of which emanates from our fearless leader, Founder and President of the Joyful Heart Foundation, Mariska Hargitay. There are our incredible supporters who made our Revolution come to life: Gala Chairs Alex Cohen, Lorraine Kirke, Sukey Novogratz and Carrie Shumway; Dinner Hosts Glenn Close, Debra Messing and Hilary Swank; Dinner Chairs Lilly and Danny Pino, George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth, who brought the house down with light and laughter throughout the evening even after being “upstaged” by five fabulous and incredibly brave teens—the voices of the next generation—who commandeered most of her hosting duties. There’s the fearless revolutionaries we know better as the Joyful Heart Board of Directors: Tom Nunan, Linda Fairstein, Stanley Schneider, Michael King, Mark Alexander, Dr. Neal Baer, Andrea Buchanan, Jill Eisenstadt-Chayet, Peter Hermann, Valli Kalei Kanuha, Ph.D, Ashley McDermott, Rev. Al Miles, Heather Mnuchin, Sukey Novogratz, Chauncey Parker, Phil Shawe and Carrie Shumway. Also in attendance were Will Chase, Law & Order Special Victims Unit co-stars Dann Floreck, Kelli Giddish, Stephanie March and Ice-T with Coco, Warren Leight, Gloria Reuben, Sherman and Chris Meloni, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Wayne County District Attorney Kym Worthy and many more.
Yes, it was a truly joyful community. But we were reminded that each of us has to do our part, each of us must carry our weight in this movement. As Mariska said in her remarks:
These are heavy topics. That’s just a fact. And what we are asking you to do—to take them on, really take them on—is hard.
But I want to talk about physics. All of you got a weight when you came here tonight. Each is about a pound. Indulge me here for a moment: pick up your weight and hold in your hand. Do you know what you’re doing right now? You’re lifting five-hundred pounds. How? Together, that’s how. It’s simple physics: the greater the number of people willing to lift, the lighter the load that each individual must carry.
We carry this so that [future generations'] load will be lighter, so that this movement to change the world—that’s right, change the world—will be less of a burden. So that instead of having to start a conversation about these issues within their communities—and families and schools and places of business— they can join one that is already going on.
Following Mariska’s opening remarks, a young woman came up on stage to introduce the evening’s first Heart of Gold Award recipient, Jane Randel. Johanna began:
Jane, you and I have never met. And yet we are deeply connected, through your work, and through my gratitude for it.
When I was seventeen, everyone said my boyfriend, Juan, and I were “the ideal couple.” And we were, until he became controlling, jealous and eventually physically abusive. When I finally broke up with him, a few hours later, in the middle of the night, he snuck into my bedroom and raped me at knife point.
He was arrested. But the judge ruled that Juan didn’t pose a serious threat to the community, so he was released. Thirteen days later, while I was sitting in a car in my grandparents’ driveway, he shot me in the face with a shotgun.
Love is not abuse. A lot of young women do not know that. A lot of young men do not know that. I, myself, wish I had known it.
But Jane, you and Liz Claiborne have known it for years.

Johanna introduces the evening's first Heart of Gold Recipient, Jane Randel. Photography by: Michael Parmalee.
Jane’s pioneering leadership to address and prevent teen dating violence have had an enormous impact on Johanna and countless more teens and parents who have learned about dating abuse and sought out help through Love Is Not Abuse, a program of the former Liz Claiborne Inc., now Fifth & Pacific. Love Is Not Abuse was created 20 years ago to generate awareness about domestic violence. Liz Claiborne was the first company ever to take a stand on this issue, commissioning research, implementing pioneering domestic violence workplace policies, creating the Love Is Not Abuse and Love Is Respect programs to offer resources and a safe online community where teens can seek help and a community, and leverage the resources and passion of the thousands in their coalition to pass legislation and get the Love Is Not Abuse curriculum into schools.
Jane pointed to the sustained, thoughtful work of so many that have made this possible:
I used to think of this work in terms of “moving the needle” of awareness…I used to believe it would be the events that shake us—Rihanna, Nicole Brown Simpson, Yeardley Love, the gang rape of a 15-year-old student outside her homecoming dance in Richmond, CA. But it’s not. Unfortunately, we react in the moment, but we are swept to the next event as the news cycle continues.
In fact, it is people like you and me, deciding to be the person who raises the issue at our companies, at our schools, in our families, in our places of worship, in our daily conversations.
We then heard from some of those people, who took the stage to talk about our collective accomplishments in turning towards the issues of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. Kym Worthy spoke first. She is the fearless Wayne County District Attorney who oversees some 70,000 prosecutions each year—25,000 of them felonies and among them, thousands of rapes. She discussed the backlog of over 11,000 “recklessly abandoned” rape kits in her jurisdiction. “Last year, at this event Joyful Heart’s CEO, Maile Zambuto said, ‘Detroit, we will not forget you.’ And I am here to say that she kept her promise.”
Prosecutor Worthy was followed by Law & Order: SVU star Danny Pino, who spoke about the very first episode he filmed as a new cast member. The episode was called “Personal Fouls” and it told the story of a respected basketball coach who is accused of sexually abusing the boys on his team. It aired a month before Penn State, Syracuse and Poly Prep. I myself happened to be on the set that day, helping to film a PSA about this issue that launched our Engaging Men initiative with the cast. I remember Danny reading through the lines of the PSA that day, his jaw dropping and eyes widening as he learned that 19 million American men are survivors of childhood sexual abuse. He remembers too. “As a father of two young boys, and as a man, I’m proud to say: consider me engaged.”

Law & Order: SVU star Danny Pino discusses Joyful Heart's Engaging Men work. Also pictured (from left): Kim Worthy, teen host Ally Pereira, Valli Kalei Kanuha and Chauncey Parker. Photography by: Michael Parmalee.
Joyful Heart Board Member, Valli Kalei Kanuha, Ph.D., then spoke about the groundbreaking One Strong ‘Ohana campaign, a strengths-based campaign focused on what we can all do to prevent child abuse before it starts. She said: “Our premise is simple: rather than wait for something to go wrong, do something right, something as basic as running an errand for an overstressed caretaker or offering to watch your neighbors’ kids so they can have a little break. One Strong ‘Ohana is the first of its kind to focus on what we can do before things go wrong in our families. We’re confident that this initiative will spare thousands of our children the pain of abuse and neglect. For many, it could save their lives.”
And then Chauncey Parker, also of Joyful Heart’s Board of Directors and Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Manhattan DA’s Crime Strategies Unit, spoke about the historic all-crimes DNA law in New York, a law that Joyful Heart has advocated for during the past two legislative sessions. The new law will help countless families be spared of the pain and trauma of violence and bring healing and justice to countless more.
Chauncey introduced Maile Zambuto, Joyful Heart’s Chief Executive Officer, who took the stage to present the evening’s second Heart of Gold Award to Grace Brown. Grace is the creator of Project Unbreakable, through which she helps survivors in their paths to healing by giving them the last word with the words once used against them during their assaults. She photographs survivors with these words written on a piece of paper.
Take a look [note: this film may be triggering for some]:
As Maile said in her introduction to Grace:
My perpetrator’s words are the deepest, most insidious part of my abuse.
I wrote them down, I read them, I saw them in black and white on the paper. And I saw them reflected in the looks on the faces of people in the street that day.
For the first time, I got those words off of me and out of me. It loosened my grip on the lie—the lie that somehow all of this was my fault, that somehow, at five years old, I caused it.
I held that sign, I bore its weight and I walked away lighter.

Maile introduces Grace Brown, recipient of the evening's second Heart of Gold award. Maile's own portrait is on the screen behind her. Photography by: Michael Parmalee.
Grace’s images remind us of the profound shame and isolation that survivors carry with them. And how so often, they carry that weight alone. But by joining together as a community, by turning our attention, resources and passion to ending—yes, ending—sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, that weight becomes lighter. The shame and the isolation can lift. Mariska said it best:
Our issues are heavy because they are very complex, because they involve pain, fear, darkness, isolation, judgment, ignorance and an entrenched lack of understanding. They are heavy because people’s lives are at stake. But together, they’re not too much to carry. I swear. That, I do know.
So as I finish putting together my thoughts into words, finish meandering through the moments of the evening that were so powerful, so joyful, so hopeful, I’ll say this: what continually inspires me most day-in and day-out are the adults and teenagers who simply have a voice, an idea, a camera, creativity, determination, a caring embrace or an attentive ear to make a difference daily to the people in their lives. We talk about changing the world, which seems like a dauntingly ambitious endeavor. But when I think of “my” world, I think about my own life path, about the places I live and work, the people I care about, those I pass on the street or see daily on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. We each have this world. And if each of us works to change just one thing about it, and then another thing, and then another, we can chip away at this seemingly overwhelming problem. The weight becomes lighter and lighter. And that’s how we do it. That’s how we change the world.
So please, consider these ways to help carry the weight:
- Download educational materials from 1in6. We made these available in print to each guest at our gala and urged them to take them home, share them with friends and family, co-workers, their community center or school. 1in6 and Joyful Heart have partnered together as part of our Engaging Men initiative to make these available in print to those that would like them. Should you wish to make an order, you can request these materials in print at no charge for orders under 25 pieces.
- Run, walk, swim, play, pole jump, ride horses or participate in your favorite activity as part of the Joyful Revolution Athletic Club. Instead of donating funds yourself, this is a great way raise money for the Joyful Heart Foundation while raising awareness among your community. Of course, it’s also a great way to achieve your own personal wellness goals.
- Say NO MORE. Join a movement that says NO MORE to domestic violence and sexual assault. You can start by posting your picture to the NO MORE photo gallery and visiting the ShopNOMORE store.
- Donate, if you have the means, to our general fund or our work to end the backlog of untested rape kits. Each and every dollar makes a difference.
- Download the Love Is Not Abuse app to your iPhone. This app provides invaluable resources to parents on teen dating violence, including a digital dating abuse simulator. I’ve tried it myself. Being in my mid-twenties, it wasn’t that long ago that I was in high school. But how the times have changed. The number of ways to exert control over another person digitally are eye-opening and, I might guess, hard for a parent to understand.
Lastly, continue to talk about the issues of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. We all have to carry our weight. Together, it makes a difference.
Zippy’s and One Strong ‘Ohana Share the Finish Line at the Honolulu 5K for Kids
May 18th
Clear skies, gentle winds and the peaceful stillness of an early Sunday morning kicked off the 2nd annual Honolulu 5K for Kids on April 29th. Hundreds of Hawai‘i’s families arrived bright and early to race around the Downtown Honolulu area. Created in June 2010, the Honolulu 5K For Kids is a local not-for-profit event that helps promote health and fitness for Hawai‘i’s children, as well as their families, to create a more active and healthy lifestyle. All the funds that were raised through the event go towards providing additional funds to Hawai‘i schools for physical education, fitness, and athletic programs.
We were so grateful to get up and get moving as part of this day with families across Honolulu and Zippy’s Restaurants, a leading sponsor of the event and corporate partner in the One Strong ‘Ohana campaign. Zippy’s generously donated their booth at the finish line to the campaign, where we were able to provide information and resources to families about preventing child abuse and neglect in Hawai‘i.
We at Joyful Heart, as one of the partner organizations of the One Strong ‘Ohana campaign, would personally like to send our most gracious mahalo to Zippy’s Restaurants and the folks at the Honolulu 5K for the amazing opportunity to be at the event. Keeping kids active, spending time with family and engaging in fun community activities are all ways to strengthen the bonds in your own family. We all have a role in preventing child abuse and neglect and this event was a wonderful opportunity to share the message that we can all do something to nurture and protect our keiki.
JHF Helps Launch One Strong ‘Ohana Child Abuse and Neglect Public Awareness Campaign
Jan 19th
Aloha, Joyful Heart Community!
As you may have seen from our Facebook or Twitter accounts, some members our national staff have traveled to Honolulu for a series of very exciting events in our westernmost hub. And as you likely know, Hawai‘i is Joyful Heart’s birthplace, so we are all thrilled and honored to be here doing this work.
One of the primary reasons for this trip was to launch the One Strong ‘Ohana campaign (‘ohana is Hawaiian for “family”).
One Strong ‘Ohana (or OSO as we refer to it internally) is the result of nearly three years of planning and coordination. I’ll share a brief recap of how we got to where we are today:
- In 2009, the Hawai‘i Children’s Trust Fund (HCTF) Coalition decided to embark on a statewide public awareness campaign designed to help prevent child abuse and neglect.
- Throughout 2010, Joyful Heart participated as a grantee in a planning cohort that helped shape the vision for what that campaign would look like. During that planning time, we proposed conducting statewide research about the issue to serve as a guide for any efforts and a baseline against which we could track our success.
- Later that year, Joyful Heart was invited by HCTF to be the organization’s non-profit partner for the campaign. Our agency’s scope included conducting research, supporting digital and social media efforts, providing creative development expertise and engaging media and community stakeholders to become a part of the campaign.
- In the spring of 2011, work began on branding and creative development with participation from organizations representing communities from across the state. The campaign theme was determined, a communication plan developed and work began in earnest on the elements of the campaign.
- By July of that year, Joyful Heart had secured strong commitments from our media partners: Hawaii News Now (a local television/news), COX Media Group Honolulu (the owner of four local FM and two local AM radio stations), the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (the largest daily newspaper in the state) and MidWeek (a weekly news magazine with the highest circulation in the state). During that month, we also released the results of our statewide study, “Perceptions of Child Abuse and Neglect in Hawai‘i.”
- Building on the momentum of the research release, we entered last fall focused on honing the creative materials, lining up corporate sponsors (including Jamba Juice, Whole Foods Market and Fun Factory) and preparing for our launch in January of 2012.
And that leads us to earlier this week, when after years of planning, we officially launched the One Strong ‘Ohana campaign!
The Launch
On Tuesday, January 17th, over 100 individuals from all walks of life—non-profits and community organizations, local businesses, media and government officials—gathered for the unveiling of the One Strong ‘Ohana campaign. The Joyful Heart Foundation and our partners at the Hawai‘i Children’s Trust Fund coordinated the effort with the generous support of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, who hosted the event at their beautiful office in downtown Honolulu.
The press conference-style event commenced with welcoming remarks from Aileen Deese, Program Director of Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii and the Chairperson of the Hawai‘i Children’s Trust Fund’s Advisory Committee. Aileen commented on what a powerful message it was to have representatives from the government in attendance, including Lt. Governor Brian Schatz, Bruce Coppa, Chief of Staff to Governor Neil Abercrombie and the Director of the Department of Health, Loretta Fuddy.
We all know that the safety and wellbeing of our children is a priority in our society. But we also know that instances of child abuse and neglect do occur, and at far more alarming rates than many would imagine. In 2010 alone, there were 4,199 reports of child abuse and neglect throughout the state.
And while most Hawai‘i residents agree that child abuse and neglect are serious issues, all too often, public attention is only turned towards them when the media reports on a tragic child fatality at the hands of a parent or caretaker.
With this in mind, in 2009, the Hawai‘i Children’s Trust Fund Coalition decided to begin the process of producing the first statewide child abuse and neglect—or CAN as we often call it—prevention public awareness campaign.
After Aileen spoke, Lt. Governor Schatz addressed the crowd.
I’d like to start by congratulating all of you on a tremendous achievement.
This is clearly a community effort that has brought together non-profit agencies, individuals, families, advocates, media, local business and government.
As a father of two young children, I’d like to express my thanks to you for your endless passion, dedication and commitment to this campaign, which creates a vision for Hawai‘i as a place where no child experiences abuse or neglect—and where families are supported by a strong and loving network of friends and family.
Child abuse and neglect is a tough issue to address. But I applaud you on your efforts to raise awareness and educate residents using a positive—and strengths-based approach.
The key idea that we are all one ‘ohana—and that we can all make a difference in strengthening families is inspirational and empowering for all of us who are invested in making Hawai‘i a better place for us to raise healthy and happy keiki.
Maile Zambuto, Joyful Heart’s Chief Executive Officer came to the podium to report on JHF’s research efforts that served to inform the campaign process. But first, she introduced a video message from a very special guest participant.
Maile then returned to share details of the report that inspired much of the campaign development process.
The headlines from our research are that, in terms of community concern, 80% of Hawaii residents think child abuse and neglect is a major problem in society.
We learned that child abuse is prevalent in our community. Nearly 40% of residents know a victim of child abuse and 9% disclosed being victimized themselves.
Around knowledge and perceptions, we found that two thirds of residents say it is difficult to identify the signs of abuse.
Almost half polled believe that children themselves can do things to prevent abuse.
Nearly a third of residents expressed that they were reluctant to get involved because it was “none of their business.”
And we learned that the majority of residents would talk to a colleague, friend or family member about suspected abuse.
The research demonstrates we have a real opportunity with this campaign to educate the public and tap into the value system that is so much a part of our unique culture in Hawai‘i – that “we are all one ‘ohana”.
Maile then passed the mic to Randy Echito, the Executive Director of the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui and member of the HCTF Advisory Committee, who provided an overview of the campaign and unveiled the creative materials. These materials, produced for TV, radio and print, will allow us to reach nearly all adults in Hawai‘i by the end of the campaign with positive and practical messages about the protective factors that help parents and caregivers support each other to create nurturing homes and communities for children. Take a look at this PSA that will air on TV, thanks to the generous support of Hawaii News Now, throughout the campaign.
Throughout 2011, we worked with our creative team—AIDIA Studios—as well as dozens of grantees and community providers to develop the creative part of the public awareness campaign. We wanted to make sure it was hopeful, strengths-based and decidedly local. Here’s a look at some of the other campaign elements:
After unveiling the creative, Randy invited Tammy Kubo, Chairperson of the Hawai‘i Children’s Trust Fund Advisory Board, and Kata Issari, Hawai‘i Regional Director for Joyful Heart, up to extend our deepest gratitude to the many individuals and organizations responsible for the development and launch of the campaign. That list includes, but is not limited to:
- The Hawai‘i Children’s Trust Fund Advisory Board and Advisory Committee
- Members of the HCTF Coalition and grantees who participated in planning, research, focus group testing and implementation
- The Hawai‘i Community Foundation
- Bennet Group Strategic Communications
- AIDIA Studo
We’d also like to thank our generous media partners and corporate sponsors for committing their time and resources to the One Strong ‘Ohana campaign:
- Hawaii News Now
- COX Media Group
- Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Midweek
- Jamba Juice Hawaii
- Whole Foods Market
- Fun Factory
Mahalo to you all for your commitment to Hawai‘i’s keiki (children).
To learn more about the campaign, please visit OneStrongOhana.com. For more on Joyful Heart’s involvement, visit our website here.










