Demapan: It was a great year for Youth Congress By MARIAN A. MARAYA

Youth leader Angel A. Demapan will soon step down from his year-long stint as speaker of the 2nd CNMI Youth Congress, taking with him positive memories of the year that was.

Currently serving his second term in the Youth Congress, he had vowed to correct what needed to be ironed out since the youth group’s inaugural year in 1998.

“My previous experience gave me the perspective to make the necessary changes,” said Mr. Demapan.

“It’s been a great year for the Youth Congress. In a scale of one to ten, I give it a ten,” the 18-year-old youth senator reflected.

In the past 11 months, 22 youth senators tried their hands at policy making, having successfully introduced seven bills and six resolutions during its quarterly-held sessions.

Youth leaders also stepped up community involvement efforts by taking part in youth-oriented causes in collaboration with various organizations.

The group actively participated in the Division of Youth Services’ “For the Children Campaign” featuring “celebrity baggers” at several commercial outlets on island.

Last May, the 2nd CNMI Youth Congress co-sponsored the 2nd Kidcare Photo ID event with Power 99 in support of efforts to increase the chances of locating missing children.

Youth Floor Leader Ramona Concepcion led the special committee that launched the special project where the Youth Congress funded the purchase of supplies from the Polaroid Company in Colorado.

The young senators also spent the year attending local and off-island development meets and workshops with high hopes of sharing their new-found knowledge to the youth group.

Mr. Demapan, Ms. Concepcion, youth Vice Speaker Joaquina Salas, and youth Senator Andrew Borja flew to Lombard, Illinois last April for a three-day Character Counts conference.

The youth speaker, with some senators and members of the Legislative Bureau, also arranged a meeting with Guam’s Youth Congress Speaker Jason Tedtaotao to discuss common issues besetting the youths in Micronesia.

“There has been more active participation from the senators this year. One major success factor was the close collaboration of the whole leadership. We also developed a very tight communication with the Legislative Bureau. . .we hardly had any disagreements,” said Mr. Demapan.

The incumbent youth speaker also disclosed plans to run for the 3rd CNMI Youth Congress this September.

“And I will gladly endorse the floor leader, Ms. Ramona Concepcion, for speakership,” he said.

Mr. Demapan said he is targeting the floor leader seat if he wins in the upcoming election.

Preparations are now underway for the 3rd CNMI Youth Congress election set for Sept. 18. The Youth Congress is urging youths ages 14 to 21 years old to vote on election day.