WHAT WE DO
Our mission is to raise peacebuilding leaders. We do so by creating community platforms and opportunities for adults and youth, educators, family members, service providers, those in the justice system, business leaders, the faith community, and non-profit professionals to work together in our collective pursuit to build sustainable, just, peaceful communities.
We share and model tools, activities, and best practices to develop leadership skills which we refer to as the “Ceeds” — hence our name, Ceeds of Peace.
WHAT WE OFFER
Community Workshops
Our 3-Part Peacebuilding Workshop Series is our flagship program, training over 75 adults per year — educators, families, community members — in peacebuilding and action planning. This workshop is a professional development opportunity for Hawaiʻi DOE educators. Participants hear from Ceeds co-founders Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng and Dr. Kerrie Urosevich, and a variety of adult and youth presenters.
Community Schools
In Hawaiʻi, community schools are innovative, thriving hubs of learning in which partnerships and collaboration create aʻo mai, aʻo aku, reciprocal relationships between learners and place, content and context, and schools and communities.
- Community schools intentionally connect schools, ʻāina, indigenous and contemporary knowledge and ensure that learners belong to a thriving community.
- Systems of support form the foundation for community schools that are rooted in organizing resources towards the success of learners, families, and communities.
- Hawaiʻi-based community schools reflect who we are, how we live, and what we aspire to become.
Ceeds of Peace is honored to serve as the community schools lead agency at Wai’anae Elementary, Makaha Elementary, Hawai’i School for the Deaf and the Blind, Honaunau Elementary, Pahoa High & Middle, Na’alehu Elementary, and Ka’u High & Pahala El. Ceeds also co-leads the statewide community schools technical assistance team.
Youth Peacebuilding Groups
We facilitate several youth-led action planning programs in partnership with several community partners. We create space and opportunity for youth to discover, express, and act on their voices and choices. Our best-known youth peacebuilding group is our Girls Talk Back Program, which brings together high school girls and non-binary students to learn and take action alongside adult mentors from our community.
My Brother's Keeper
Ceeds of Peace leads MBK Hawai‘i — the local chapter of the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance, a national initiative to improve life outcomes for boys and young men of color. Rooted in Hawai‘i’s unique cultural landscape and unique challenges, MBK Hawai‘i is organized by the ACLU of Hawai‘i’s Reimagining Public Safety in Hawai‘i Coalition and supported by its backbone organization, Ceeds of Peace. Our mission is to bring together community to create safer, healthier, and more just pathways for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) boys and young men — those most impacted by systemic inequities.
Private Offerings
We have four presentation/facilitation offerings for interested community groups, businesses, and schools that can be tailored to your needs: (1) 6-Part Training Session, (2) Private offering of 3-Part Workshop Series, (3) Facilitation Services, and (4) Retreats. Contact us for inquiries.
Community Events
We organize various events to bring awareness on peace-related issues, facilitate difficult conversations, and tackle community issues and tensions. We feature renowned peace activists, host film screenings, facilitate storytelling sessions, and hold panels.
Join as a Community Member!
Membership gives you access to join workshops, initiate action plans, stay up-to-date on initiatives, and share resources.
Join as a Collaborating Organization
As a collaborating organization, you may unite with peacebuilding groups and programs and stay up-to-date on opportunities.
Join a Program
Sign up for specific program offerings from Ceeds of Peace!