Small Island. Big Progress

Inside the 2026 Vorovoro Strategic Planning Workshop

Earlier this year, I spent 5 days on Vorovoro Island co-facilitating our second annual Strategic Development Planning Workshop with Dr. Heather Lerner. Heather has become a wonderful collaborator in this work, bringing both thoughtful questions and practical insight to the conversations we have with the community each year.

These workshops have become an important rhythm for the island. They give the community a chance to step away from the day-to-day work of running programs and focus on something that is often harder to make space for: thinking carefully about the future.

For one week each year, the pace slows down.

People gather to reflect on what has been accomplished, to talk honestly about what still needs attention, and to map out where energy should go next.

On Vorovoro, those conversations tend to unfold slowly and collaboratively. Often they happen over long hours spent gathered together, talking through big ideas and complex logistics, and working through the details that turn ideas into action.

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Looking Back Before Looking Forward

We began the workshop by revisiting the goals the community set during last year’s planning sessions.

The 2025 Strategic Development Plan focused on three main areas:

• strengthening cultural education

• advancing environmental stewardship

• building the organizational structure needed for the Vorovoro Cultural Education Centre (VCEC)

Over the past year, steady progress was made across each of these priorities.

Another encouraging development was the continued growth of Vorovoro’s university partnerships. The island welcomed Auburn University students for the 8th time, and hosted Louisiana State University for the first time. Expanding these partnerships has long been a goal for the community, creating opportunities to share cultural knowledge while offering students meaningful place-based learning experiences.

Welcoming LSU alongside Auburn marked an exciting step forward for the Vorovoro Cultural Education Centre and its role as a living classroom.

Youth Leadership in Cultural Education

One of the most encouraging outcomes of these programs has been the continued growth of youth leadership within the community.

Young members of the Vorovoro mataqali have been deepening their knowledge of iTaukei traditions while increasingly stepping into teaching roles during visiting programs.

This includes sharing practices such as:

• ceremonial protocol

• meke (traditional dance)

• weaving

• traditional food preparation

• natural medicine knowledge
  

This kind of intergenerational learning sits at the heart of the VCEC vision. Cultural knowledge is not simply preserved. It is actively practiced and passed forward.

Marine Conservation Taking Shape

Important work is also happening in the waters surrounding Vorovoro.

Over the past year the community:

• established a Marine Protected Area

• launched coral gardening initiatives

• began restoring giant clam populations

• introduced pearl farming as a potential livelihood opportunity

These initiatives reflect a growing commitment to protecting the ecosystems that sustain life on the island while also exploring sustainable economic opportunities.

Quiet but Important Milestones

Some of the most significant developments this year happened behind the scenes.

The community successfully secured approval of the island’s land lease, allowing the Vorovoro Cultural Education Centre to formally register its business entity and establish the financial accounts needed to support future operations.

While administrative in nature, these steps are critical. They provide the legal and organizational foundation needed for long-term partnerships and investment.

Another meaningful milestone was the community’s first-ever grant proposal, focused on improving access to clean and reliable fresh water.

For Vorovoro, this represents more than simply submitting a funding application. It reflects growing confidence and readiness to pursue outside resources while continuing to guide development on the community’s own terms.

What Comes Next

While it was encouraging to reflect on the past year, much of the workshop focused on preparing for what comes next.

Together with community leaders, we spent many hours working through the practical steps required for the next phase of development.

This included:

• refining several grant proposals planned for 2026

• outlining key elements of the VCEC business plan

• identifying the surveys and technical assessments needed before infrastructure projects can begin

Future construction will require a series of studies, including land surveys, valuation work, and geotechnical assessments to understand the island’s building conditions.

These steps may not be the most visible part of development work, but they are essential. Careful preparation now helps ensure that future investments are thoughtful, responsible, and aligned with both environmental realities and community priorities.

In many ways, the week was about laying the groundwork that will make larger progress possible.

Priorities for the Year Ahead

By the end of the workshop, the community identified four key priorities that will guide work in the coming year.

• Improving access to clean and reliable fresh water

• Upgrading facilities to support education and programming

• Strengthening transportation and logistics

• Expanding training in business, operations, and marketing

Each of these priorities reflects the long-term vision for the Vorovoro Cultural Education Centre as a place where culture, conservation, and learning come together through community leadership.

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A Process Built on Collaboration

One of the things that continues to stand out about this work is the spirit of collaboration behind it.

The progress happening on Vorovoro is not the result of a single project or organization. It grows out of relationships, shared learning, and the willingness of people to sit together and work patiently through complex questions.

These workshops provide space for ideas to take shape and for plans to move forward.

They remind us that meaningful progress rarely happens all at once. More often, it grows steadily through conversation, reflection, and collaboration.

Small island. Big progress.

Warmly,

Jenny Cahill

BTG Director

VCEC #1 fan