In the aftermath of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires, communities across Maui faced profound disruption, including displacement, grief, cultural loss, and increased strain on families and support systems. In response, artists, educators, cultural practitioners, and health leaders mobilized to restore connection; not only as a form of healing, but as a strategy for prevention. This roundtable introduces “Connection as Prevention,” a framework emerging from cross-sector partnerships among AHAS (Archive for Health, Arts & Spirit), the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, and the Hawaiʻi Arts & Health Network.
Grounded in active work on Maui, this session positions arts-based practice as disaster response infrastructure and explores how connection, built through creative practice, functions as a protective factor in both disaster recovery and child abuse prevention. Rather than a formal presentation, this session will facilitate a structured, participatory dialogue that invites attendees to engage with: - Case examples from Lahaina, including school-based and community-based creative interventions - Strategies for partnering with public health systems, including work with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health - Approaches to building regional and national arts response networks, including collaboration with NCAPER - The role of Indigenous-centered and multi-racial leadership in shaping equitable and culturally grounded response systems
Participants will be guided through small-group discussion and collective sensemaking to explore how these ideas translate to their own communities and contexts. This roundtable is designed to: - Surface shared challenges and opportunities across regions - Exchange strategies for integrating arts into disaster response and prevention systems - Build connections among practitioners working at the intersection of arts, health, and emergency response - Contribute to the growing field of arts-based disaster preparedness and recovery
By centering dialogue, relationship-building, and shared learning, this session advances the conference call to reimagine readiness, not only as a set of protocols, but as a network of relationships that can be activated in times of crisis.
