Brent Kakesako
Brent Kakesako is the executive director for the Hawai’i Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development (HACBED), a nonprofit intermediary that works to build the capacity of families and communities in Hawai’i and provide ongoing support so that they have choice and control to push for economic, environmental, and social justice.
Reflecting and Planning Using a Community Wealth Building Lens
Over an organization’s 25 years in existence, how do staff and volunteers measure impact and build off of lessons learned to guide their next steps forward?
Indigenous Approaches to Succession and Mentoring
The American approach to work often values productivity in terms of outputs and deliverables, and generally, this prevails even in our social justice work. Many of us give of ourselves and sacrifice our time, energy, and other facets of our lives for the cause or to advance the movement; but without some sort of balance and planning on our end, we could face a harsh reality as we meet our advanced years in life.
Advocates, Have You Created A Judgment-Free Zone?
How did we get here? What’s to come? Should I be moving to another country??! The last question may seem...
True Financial Capability Requires Expanding the Definition of Wealth
What is productive agricultural land and clean water worth? What are strong communal relationships worth? What is a clear connection to heritage, to culture, to past, to future, and self, worth?
How Did We Manage Stress, Media, and Technology in 2015?
As we near the end of the year, I find myself in reflective mode—is the work I'm doing having...
The Role of Municipalities in Supporting Family Wealth-Building
How might a municipality leverage its resources and influence to better support its families?Hawai'i County, specifically the Office of...
The Benefits of Having Everyone at the Table
How might we better engage the families we work with and provide them access to larger opportunities? Last month, CFED held their bi-annual Assets Learning Conference. It featured a range of topics that touched on an array of asset-building issues and included networking opportunities, mobilized conversations with policymakers, and celebrations of the progress of the […]
Getting Together–Using National Gatherings to Learn from Each Other
Given our national economic climate and the growing recognition of collaborative, place-based and culturally grounded approaches, it is only fitting then that the theme...
‘Ohana-Based Approach to Incentivized Youth Savings
How can we measure the impact of incentivized youth savings beyond just financial impacts?Hawai‘i Island ‘ohana participating in the...
From Food Pantries to Food Justice
Is it possible for a family to be truly self-sufficient and provide all of its own food?This is a...
Weaving Together the Silos of Community Development
The New Year—both 2014 and the Lunar New Year—provides a time for reflection and visioning; a time to ask:...
You Put One Seed in the Ground, You Get Many in Return
The passing of two annual events: Thanksgiving, a time to celebrate the harvest and by extension with family, and Black Friday, an event that...
In Hawaii, A Holistic Approach to Treat a Broken Economy
Ho‘owaiwai—genuine wealth—was mentioned last month as wealth that was beyond financial; wealth that included our relationships with our family,...
Wealth Creation in Hawaii: ‘Aina, ‘Ohana, Aloha
How would you define “wealth”?
Owning your own home?
Accumulating an abundance of financial resources and goods?
Celebrating a network of relationships that help you take care...