In order to understand why this project is important, I believe it is important to share some background information about myself. I am a proud son of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a 14 island chain on the western Pacific ocean, home to the native Chamorro people. The CNMI join the United State Union politically as a Territory in 1975 (U.S. Department of Interior, 2023). According to the United States Census Bureau (2023), the CNMI is home to 47,392 people of diverse backgrounds made up of Chamorro, Carolinian, Filipino, Korea, and other Micronesian, Asian, and other ethnic groups living across Saipan, Tinian and Rota. My heritage is a blend of Chamorro and Japanese, and I was born and raised on the island of Saipan.

      Growing up on the island of Saipan, I have been exposed to many different cultures through events like the Taste of Marianas, Flame Tree Festival, and Thursday Night Markets and more. These events celebrate the diverse perspectives of the various cultures residing in Saipan. Despite this exposure, I have never deeply explored my Chamorro heritage. Additionally, when I was an 8th grader, I felt lost and uncertain about my future career path, lacking a sense of direction. 

     It was not until the summer of 2009 that my father insisted I join a program called 4-H Summer Fun Day Camp. This annual camp focused on arts and crafts and offered youth the chance to learn about various topics such as aquaculture and farming. My first day of being a youth leader, I was shaking in my boots as I have never been part of something that challenged my public speaking skills, much less my leadership skills. I decided not to return the next day as it was overstimulating for my young mind. However, the amazing Lead Youth Leaders visited me at home after the summer camp to encourage me to come back. It was that moment where they made me feel welcomed and appreciated that made me feel, for the first time, that I was part of something, a part of my community. 

     After five years with 4-H, I discovered my passion for working with youth, prompting me to shift my undergraduate focus from business to education. Over time, I served as the President of 4-H Marianas for two years. Later in 2015, I co-founded one of the many programs under 4-H Marianas called 4-H Camp Maga’lahi that reimagined summer day camps where integrated field trips to beaches to learn about coral reefs and marine life with the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance or the Division of Coastal Resource Management, understand the history of World War II with the American Memorial Park, and indigenous practices with various organizations like the Indigenous Affairs Office and multiple community leaders. These efforts aimed to create supportive environments that nurture youth development, consistent with Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory, which underscores the influence of multiple environmental layers on an individual’s development. For example, a young person’s development is influenced not just by their immediate family (microsystem), but also by the school they attend, the community activities they engage in, such at 4-H (mesosystem), and the broader cultural values and societal norms they are exposed to through community leaders/partners and cultural practices (macrosystem). 

     4-H Marianas became a CNMI non-profit organization under the auspices of the Northern Marianas College Cooperative Research, Extension and Education Services (NMC CREES) Family, Community, and Youth Development (FCYD) programs in 2015. The aim of 4-H Marianas is to provide experiences for young people to learn by doing, grounded in positive youth development (PYD) principles. PYD programs are essential for providing young people with developmental experiences during childhood and adolescence that prepare them for their future potential and overall well-being (Catalano et al., 2019). 

     These programs operate within complex physical and social environments and support youths in acquiring necessary skills, strengthening their environmental context, and building their agency to influence their development and surroundings (Catalano et al., 2019). PYD programs have garnered significant attention due to their comprehensive approach to fostering the holistic growth of young people. They aim to build competencies such as social skills, problem-solving abilities, and emotional regulation, which are crucial for personal and professional success (Lerner et al., 2005 and Taylor et al., 2017). Research has shown that youths engaged in PYD programs exhibit higher levels of academic achievement, better social relationships, and increased resilience (Gootman & Eccles, 2002 and Perkins, Caldwell, & Witt, 2019). Similar to 4-H Marianas, 4-H youth work on hands-on projects that focus on building their leadership, citizenship, and responsibility skills to become active citizens of our society beyond adolescence. 

     These programs fueled my passion to provide youth with opportunities to grow and thrive in a caring, supportive environment. It led me to obtaining an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Education from NMC, then a Bachelors Degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, eventually returning to the CNMI and becoming an Extension Agent for the NMC CREES FCYD program, a dream job I’ve admired since becoming a volunteer for the program. It was through this role that I was able to create countless opportunities for the youth of my community.     

     One significant program that I co-created was the 4-H Marianas Youth Leadership Series (4-H MYLS) that is anchored in the 4-H Youth Thriving Model, a framework designed to support PYD by fostering essential developmental contexts. This model, developed by Mary Arnold, is based on the premise that when youth are supported in specific ways, they are more likely to thrive (Arnold, 2018). The 4-H Youth Thriving Model includes several critical components: sparks, belonging, relationships, and engagement (Arnold, 2018). These elements are foundational to the initial stages of the program and contribute significantly to youth thriving as they progress through the series.

     "Sparks" refer to the passions and interests that young people find deeply motivating and meaningful (Arnold, 2018). Identifying and nurturing these sparks is crucial because they drive youth engagement and commitment to personal development. Research has shown that when youth are encouraged to pursue their passions, they exhibit higher levels of intrinsic motivation, resilience, and goal-setting behaviors (Benson & Scales, 2009; Lerner et al., 2005; Taylor et al., 2017). Additionally, Arnold and Gagnon (2020) describe youth thriving as the ultimate goal of PYD programs, where young people not only succeed academically and socially but also develop a strong sense of purpose and direction.

     The 4-H Marianas Youth Leadership Series (4-H MYLS) is an 11-month program where youth participants meet quarterly to engage in curricula that develop their citizenship and leadership skills. The program's curriculum draws from Western-based leadership and citizenship curricula, such as Ohio State University Extension's (2017) Leadership Road Trip, which focuses on answering questions about oneself and those close by, setting goals, practicing communication, and committing to lead. Additionally, the University of Minnesota Extension (2015) WeConnect: A Global Youth Citizenship Curriculum prepares youth to be active participants in a global society, inspiring a sense of understanding and confidence in relating and connecting to others. It is my belief that these two curricula, when viewed through a cultural lens, create a robust learning experience that elevates the participants' leadership and citizenship skills.

     Between these quarterly meetings, participants create professional development, community outreach, or recreational opportunities for their peers, applying their in-person experiences in real-world settings through building community-based projects (Thomas, Teel, & Bruyere, 2014). The long-term goal is to retain these youth leaders by fostering a sense of belonging and personal connection to our islands, encouraging them to return and contribute to our local economy. 

     Initially, the pilot project with Cohort 1 did not include culturally-based components. Cohort 1 primarily focused on the Western-based curriculum incorporating only slight local adaptations. The focus was on indoor activities and inviting community partners to the site, rather than engaging participants in outdoor experiences. However, there was a component missing that would connect the youth's experiences to their local environment and culture on a deeper level. Recognizing the importance of grounding educational experiences within the cultural contexts of the CNMI, I sought to integrate MPIP and knowledge as a means of enriching the participants' understanding of and engagement with STEM disciplines (Misco, 2018; Izzah et al., 2020). The key to this integration was through building mentor relationships (Gassman & Gleason, 2011) between the youth participants and esteemed community leaders and elders. 

     This integration stemmed from my experience in the Summer One of the Masters of Education in Curriculum Studies STEMS². Prior to this experience, I held a limited understanding of the value that indigenous knowledge and practices could bring to STEM fields (Villaluz, 2017). However, the STEMS² program expanded my perspective by highlighting how indigenous epistemologies and Western scientific knowledge could be harmonized to create more holistic, culturally-responsive approaches to education and research. For example, the program emphasized how traditional Hawaiian cultural practices, such as the use of the ahupua’a system, could offer valuable insights into natural resource management and community sustainability (Foster & Poggie, 1993; Lemus, 2018; Suzuki STEMS² Journal, 2024).

     Inspired by this, I sought to apply similar principles within the 4-H MYLS Cohort 2. I localized and modernized some of the practices that were utilized within the STEMS² summer experience and coupled it with traditional Chamorro practices (Russell, 1998). For example, the Aloha Circle was adapted as the Hafa Adai Circle, where participants begin each session by sharing introductions, reflections, and personal connections to the day's activities, fostering a spirit of community and mutual understanding (Suzuki STEMS² Journal, 2024). To close the day, participants would reconvene in the Hafa Adai Circle to collectively reflect on their experiences. This was one of several practices that will be discussed later in this case study. Additionally, the program incorporated visits and presentations from respected community elders and leaders who shared their knowledge of indigenous Chamorro practices related to the natural environment, traditional ecological knowledge, and community-based approaches to problem-solving (Kahakalau, 2020).