Findgs from th

Insights from the Cohorts

The Final Gathering kicked off with a poster presentation during which each participant shared five key aspects of their own professional experience and work efforts with GCP peers: 

GCP Takeaways

• A. Networking & Community
• “Meeting like-minded individuals…learning from others’ experience.”
• “There is a community of people who are in the same boat as you are and interacting with them is the best way to learn and grow in your position.”
• B. Project Management & Organizational Tools
• “Importance of collaboration/partnerships…stakeholder identification, project scope, Gantt charts.”
• “Ideas on how to best organize a Google Workspace…priority checklist helps a lot with staying sane.”
• C. Learning from Best Practices
• “I began building a fundraising tool…getting a much-needed jump-start.”
• “Everything [is a takeaway]! The templates and course content…hearing about everyone’s projects.”
• D. Confidence & Empowerment
• “You don’t have to know everything—that’s why you network.”
• “Confidence to reach out and start conversations with stakeholders.”

What they want to SHARE with others

• A. Emotional & Well-Being Support
• “It’s important to BREATHE…take those deep breaths and release the tension.”
• “Laugh—sometimes you just have to.”
• B. Knowledge & Skill Sharing
• “We can share sample scopes of work and project narratives…”
• “Grant draft read-throughs, brainstorming, being a sounding board.”
• C. Hospitality & Invitations
• “If you are ever on the North Shore of Kauaʻi please reach out.”
• “Spaces to meet and gather in community. Hands-on experiential learning.”
• D. Cultural Encouragement
• “1185: I ka nānā i ka ʻike (‘By observing, one learns’).”
• “Building pilina is so important—ask questions, reach out.”

What they SEEK in their work

• A. Capacity Building & Training
• “We’re in need of archival practices training for our volunteers.”
• “More trainings/workshops to help hone my skills.”
• B. Partnerships & Collaboration
• “Looking to partner with teachers or teacher groups to form an advisory group.”
• “Always looking to connect amazing local people into meaningful work.”
• C. Technical & Content-Specific Skills
• “Examples of how others conduct community engagement and digitizing collections.”
• “Techniques to help me track my genealogy (I need help starting).”
• D. Policy, Funding & Administration
• “How the new administrative changes and legislation are affecting organizations.”
• “Tips for donor-led recognition within cultural contexts.”
• E. Community Engagement & Volunteerism
• “Updates on upcoming events are volunteer opportunities—a job.”
• “Ideas on involving community for more input, volunteer, etc.”

What they can OFFER to others

• A. Templates, Toolkits & SOPs
• “We can share sample scopes of work and project narratives.”
• “Offering templates for collection catalogs, metadata, and digitization workflows.”
• B. Professional Services & Mentoring
• “Grant writing support, graphic design services, brainstorming sessions.”
• “Two helping hands—sounding board, read/edit drafts.”
• C. Digitization & Technical Guidance
• “Recommendations and SOPs for digitization equipment…increase record discoverability.”
• “Insight and guidance on metadata and workflow best practices.”
• D. Community-Building & Experiential Spaces
• “Spaces to meet and gather…hands-on experiential learning.”
• “Opportunities to connect with ʻāina—hosting individuals for pae ʻāina collaboration.”
• E. Network & Partnership Facilitation
• “Liaison with Smithsonian; connecting you with potential ʻāina partners.”
• “Examples of awarded grant applications—thought partners to see if ideas fit community needs.”

What are the cohort's current INTERESTS?

• A. Place-Based & Cultural Programming
• “Building programs rooted in place-based learning…community leadership.”
• “‘Ohana-based programming (‘āina/cultural-based workshops).”
• B. Data, Evaluation & Best Practices
• “How you use data in your everyday work—evaluation, conferences, collaboration.”
• “Longevity relative to preservation—diligent stewardship over decades.”
• C. Professional Development & Fundraising
• “Fundraising, grants, donor relationships, and how to better involve our community.”
• “Other cohort opportunities, scholarship opportunities, travel/collaboration.”
• D. Environmental Conservation & Hobbies
• “Native plant propagation, invasive species eradication, neighbor-island work days.”
• “I have a small citrus orchard; I’m learning basket weaving!”
• E. Well-Being & Work-Life Balance
• “Balance day-to-day—what motivational exercises keep positivity flowing?”
• “Techniques for deep breathing and releasing tension.”