Who We Are

At Shanti Alliance, we believe that creating inclusive and supportive school communities is essential to drive meaningful social change. Through our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, we empower educators and students to foster connections, embrace diversity, and cultivate respectful, compassionate spaces where everyone can thrive.

Join us as we delve into ‘Cultivating and Growing Our Spheres of Belonging

Explore the 7th Annual Hawai'i DEI Conference

Mission, Vision, and Beliefs

To support school communities to nurture inclusivity and belonging through a DEI framework for Hawaiʻi that draws from the knowledge, wisdom and practices of our diverse community.
Thriving, peaceful and sustainable school communities of Hawaiʻi where educators and students show up as their full selves and have the dispositions, knowledge and capacities to contribute to making the world a more equitable, just and inclusive place.
We Believe that DEIB work requires continuous, active community building and collective action that:
- Nurtures relationships and trust within a culture of support and appreciation.
- Supports safe and inviting spaces for people to connect, share, process and reflect. This is critical to replenishing the spirit, and builds one’s resilience to engage in the work in a sustainable way.
- Builds the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be effective DEIB practitioners.
- Centers the voices of those most impacted by oppression in design, implementation, and reflection processes that will result in effective and long lasting positive change.
- Focusing on identity awareness and engaging in practices to grow the dispositions and capacities that enable one to do DEIB work in a balanced, healthy and sustainable way by:
  - Consistently exploring and delving into myriad bodies of knowledge.
  - Understanding identities through a DEIB lens.
  - Cultivating love, empathy, compassion for oneself and others, recognizing the intrinsic worth of every being.
  - Relishing the opportunities that bring joy, enabling one to come home to their best, most expansive self.
Focusing on learning, adapting and applying the knowledge and skills gained through Shanti Alliance to engage in DEIB work in the school community by:
- Applying DEIB knowledge and skills in one’s school community.
- Listening actively with curiosity and an open mind to the perspective of others.
- Communicating with others skillfully and respectfully, even in disagreement.
- Offering oneself and others grace and kindness, understanding that making mistakes are part of the learning process and an opportunity to grow.
- Acting thoughtfully and with intention, in accordance with one’s values, weighing intent and impact.

In 2024-2025, our focus is on ‘Cultivating and Growing Our Spheres of Belonging’—a program dedicated to building educational spaces that prioritize belonging and equity.

The creation of learning spaces that center belonging and equity requires us to cultivate spaces that allow each person to be present in their wholeness. This is rigorous work that invites us to center reflection, deep respect, continuous learning, and connection to our places and communities in our educational practice.

Guiding Questions

Inner Practice

1. What can I learn about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), and what actions can I take that help me see and appreciate myself and others?
1.a. What beliefs, assumptions, or habits do I have that contribute to unfairness or injustice?
1.b. How can I notice and change these ways of thinking?
2. What knowledge of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging can help me to grow and make new connections?
2.a. How can I create spaces where others feel included and like they belong?
3. How can we learn from the knowledge, traditions, and practices of Hawaiʻi to deepen our sense of belonging and connection for ourselves, our communities, and ʻāina?
Outer Practice

1. What can I learn about and do to help make my school a welcoming place where everyone belongs?
2. What unfair systems or ideas in our school make it more challenging to create a joyful and inclusive environment?
3. How can we use our roles and relationships to turn good intentions into positive actions?
4. How can I use my kuleana to help create fair and supportive spaces at school?