The non-profit Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center hosts a free talk on June 16 as part of their “Finding Solutions, Growing Peace” Brown Bag Lunch Series. Talks are Third Thursdays from 12 noon to 1 pm in the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney at 655 Kilauea Avenue in Hilo.
This month’s speaker is Dr. Gregory Chun on the topic “T-Shirts, Banners, and Badges: Reflections on Community Advocacy and Intractability in Hawai‘i.”
“Why do we get stuck in so many of our community conversations?” asks Dr. Chun. “Why is there a growing trend towards people taking nonnegotiable positions in sometimes controversial issues?”
He says, “I want to help those working in advocacy, development, conflict resolution, and community, and government with historical, cultural, and social factors that I feel contribute to this intractability and introduce strategies for them to consider.”
Gregory Chun, Ph.D. has lived and worked on Hawai‘i Island since 1999, serving in positions with Parker Ranch, Kamehameha Investment Corporation, and Kamehameha Schools. Currently with the University of Hawaii at Manoa, he is developing a program of interdisciplinary studies that includes resource management, community development, and well-being, with a particular focus on serving Native Hawaiians and underserved communities.
Ku‘ikahi’s Brown Bag Lunch Series is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch, enjoy an informal and educational talk-story session, and meet others interested in “Finding Solutions, Growing Peace.”
This lunch-and-learn series is made possible thanks in part to funding from the Atherton Family Foundation. For more information, contact Ku‘ikahi Program Coordinator Gail Takaki at 935-7844 x 9 or gail@hawaiimediation.org. Or visit Ku‘ikahi’s website.
