Nonkilling Hawai’i Advisory Council holds its Second Meeting

The Nonkilling Hawai’i Advisory Council had its second meeting in Honolulu August 29. Members came from diverse sectors of the community: Native Hawaiian activists and educators, health care professionals, domestic violence and suicide prevention specialists, inter-faith, security, business, and tourism representatives. The main focus of the meeting was on the Nonkilling Hawai’i project in which CGNK is looking to Hawai’i for a model for measurably reducing and eventually eliminating killing in the world.

The Council shared the richness of the nonkilling stories from different societal sectors ranging from prisons, violent homes, schools, hotels, art, and cultural trauma. There was agreement that the Project needed to cultivate the spiritual and cultural assets of Hawai’i in service of nonkilling. The group explored creating a baseline survey that would get a clear picture of killing and nonkilling in Hawai’i. It was agreed that NK Hawai’i will utilize existing data sources and focus new efforts tracking attitudes and opinions about killing and nonkilling. The group will be using two comprehensive maps created by Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D on “Cultures of War, Cultures of Peace” to develop the questions for the survey.

The Council also learned about the upcoming Global Nonkilling Leadership Academy being held October 4 through 16 in Honolulu. They planned ways they could help enrich the experience for the global participants. The Council will be active in inviting people to a public event with an Academy participant panel and an opportunity to invite and engage policy makers and Hawai’i citizens in both the global and local status and possibilities for nonkilling. Policy makers will be introduced and engaged by the Council in creating a Nonkilling Hawai’i future. The Advisory Council will continue working in groups and in building broader nonkilling spirit, awareness and culture in Hawai’i.