|
From May through August 2003, the people of Maui County engaged in a groundbreaking process to begin to define a vision for Maui County.
In just three months, the Focus Maui Nui initiative brought approximately 1,700 participants into an intensive, participatory process to plan for the future of the county as a whole. Over 160 small group discussions took place in neighborhood homes, churches, shopping centers and workplaces, with each group ultimately developing a list of key strategies that could shape Maui’s future.
The resulting Five Key Strategies for Action included:
- Improving education
- Preserving local culture and addressing community health concerns
- Protecting the natural environment including our water resources
- Addressing infrastructure challenges especially housing and transportation
- Adopting targeted economic strategies
Besides the action strategies, participants carefully articulated what they viewed as the core values to guide Maui Nui, the key challenges the islands face, and the parties responsible for carrying out the recommended actions.
The final report of Phase I of Focus Maui Nui was presented to community leaders who pledged to uphold the findings of this process and make decisions based on the vision that emerged. In 2004, county administrators and planners successfully adopted FMN’s findings into their Ten-Year Plan for Maui County.
In 2005, Phase II of Focus Maui Nui has been about:
- Creating greater community-wide awareness about FMN values, priorities and strategies
- Triggering sustainable action, with emphasis on targeting planning processes
- Reporting progress back to community as part of the project’s accountability
The “incubation” of community action will continue into 2006. Similar to business incubation, this is a nurturing system for growth that requires an on-going support system and a network of “service providers.” These tools and coaching will further help the community achieve ownership of Focus Maui Nui vision and values.
For the latest information, visit the Focus Maui Nui website.
|
