Hawaii leaders find hope in Obama workshops

It was a message of hope that carried Hawaii-born Barack Obama into the White House a decade ago, and it’s that same message he is continuing to carry through his post-presidency work to inspire and empower a new generation of international leaders.

That was clear Saturday as 21 young people chosen by the Obama Foundation as emerging leaders gathered at the East-West Center in Honolulu for a day of workshops and conversations about how to design a leadership program for the Asia-Pacific region.

They came from 16 countries and territories, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Two members of the cohort — Kealoha Fox and Kaleo Manuel, both 34 — are from Hawaii.

“There is so much affirmation that is coming out of the foundation: the leadership, the guests that they have brought, the distinguished lecturers that we are training with,” said Fox during a break from the workshops. “It does give you a lot of hope. It really does inspire you. It empowers you to believe in yourself and to believe in your peers.”

Fox works as executive manager for the head of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs. She holds a doctorate in biomedical sciences and has worked to better indigenous health care. She’s also served on the Hawaii Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Commission.

Manuel is a program manager with the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands where he leads a team of planners and community development specialists in creating affordable housing and homestead communities for Hawaiians.

Manuel and Fox are among a diverse group that includes a poet and nonprofit director from the Marshall Islands, a mathematician from Singapore and financial technology executive from Thailand. The broad diversity is an important part of the foundation’s goal of encouraging cross-sector collaboration on a wide range of issues that are expected to emerge from the leaders themselves.

The foundation is nonpartisan and nonpolitical, but is rooted in values such as “teamwork, transparency, commitment to social good, stewardship and using resources responsibly — things that don’t have any grounding in any political ideology,” said Bernadette Meehan, chief international officer for the Obama Foundation during an interview earlier last week.

The two Hawaii participants said they expect themes such as indigenous rights and climate change to play a role in the Asia-­Pacific leadership program. The foundation launched a similar program in Africa last year that brought together 200 leaders from around the continent for an ongoing leadership training initiative.

Technology is also sure to play a part, said Manuel, who sees the intersection of culture and technology as unique to his generation.

“If things need to be adapted and changed or evolved, I think our generation is really open to that. There really are endless opportunities, and technology can help with and support that,” he said. “And I also think that we are also grounded in who we are. And so still having a center and not sacrificing who we are — our culture, our identity, our perspectives, our world views, while also advancing, creating and innovating for the future — I think those are the gifts that this generation has to offer.”

Obama was not present for yesterday’s activities but is expected to meet today with participants, who will pitch their ideas for the Asia-Pacific leadership program. The former president is scheduled to deliver remarks later in the evening at a private event.