PSS holds YAP Planning and Networking Session

Representing their schools, and acting as a voice for their peers, dozens of young leaders belonging to the Youth Advisory Panel under the CNMI Public School System’s Personal Responsibility Education Program gathered yesterday at the Saipan World Resort in Susupe to plan their yearlong positive youth development activities and network with community partners.

Saipan Tribune was able to get some comments from participating YAP student leaders and advisors just before the Youth Advisory Panel Student Leadership and Advisors Planning and Networking Session started.

Kenneth Pua, an 8th grader at Chacha Middle School, shared with Saipan Tribune that, along with being a voice for his peers, he joined the program to “have fun and try and socialize with new people” as well as to make lesson plans more fun for students.

Frank Rabauliman Jr., one of the counselors at Chacha, told Saipan Tribune, “I’m really looking forward to seeing what our students are able to plan out. I’m also excited for friends to learn how to network. As adults we network with…different schools, so this is a great opportunity for our students to learn how to network at an early age, especially starting from elementary all the way up to high school. It’s a great bridge for our students to learn more responsibility as well as become more independent.”

Rabauliman said he is glad this planning and networking event was held this year, since it did not happen last year.

With participating student from grades K-12 PSS schools on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, the main objective of the meeting was to allow YAP student leaders, under the supervision of their advisers, to network and collaborate with PSS programs and community partners as they plan their yearlong positive youth development activities, during which they come up with at least one event that YAP student leaders will host in their own school campus. Other than one major monthly YAP event, each school will host at least three more school-based activities.

For Irene Wang, a junior from Marianas High School, she feels the event is certainly needed. “I feel like it’s a great way for students to really speak up and say what’s going on, not just through an adult’s point of view but also students’ point of view,” she said. “I am really looking forward to the activities coming up because it’s really exciting.”

Wang’s school adviser, Kadi Camacho, said, “Pretty much glad that this is happening again to allow fresh new student leaders to give their ideas on what the school and district levels plan.”

Camacho hopes that, by the end of the day, the student leaders will have an idea of district plans for the rest of the school year and put in their ideas for the events that they want to proceed with, such as seminars, monthly activities for the whole district, and more.

After the event concluded at 4pm, PSS’ State PREP coordinator for Student Support Services, Elfriede D. Suda, described the event as a “definite” success and YAP student officers were able to plan out themes for their upcoming YAP, work on activities and events to be held throughout the year, and represent their school and peers, discussing with community partners what works and doesn’t work for the youth.