JHF Helps Launch One Strong 'Ohana Child Abuse and Neglect Public Awareness Campaign

January 19, 2012 | BY NateRichards | FILED UNDER JHF BLOG >

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:

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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: