Pacific Islands Development Program

While in Guam, our PIDP Deputy Director, Dr. James Perez Viernes, contributed to two significant events this week. Dr. Viernes opened the Marianas Storytelling Series: MicrONEnesia Voyaging session at the Guam Museum with Thoughts on Micronesia, celebrating traditional navigation alongside Grand Master Navigators Ali Haleyalur, Rhapin Whok, (College of Micronesia) and Sesario Sewralur, Rhapin Whok (Palau Community College). The event was moderated by H. Larry Raigetal, Pairourou (University of Guam). He also delivered a keynote address on Micronesia in the Blue Pacific at the Pacific Asia Travel Association Micronesia Chapter’s 3rd Tri-Annual Meeting, emphasizing Micronesia’s pivotal role in Pacific leadership. We’re proud of Dr. Viernes for championing Pacific voices and fostering regional connections. #PIDPFamily #PIDPInTheRegion #Micronesia

To our friends on Moloka'i, join our director, Dr. Mary Therese Hattori, for a poetry writing workshop at the Moloka'i Public Library! Friday, December 13 3:00-4:00pm A native Chamoru of Guåhan (Guam), Dr. Hattori was raised in the undulating limestone plateau of northern Guam, in the waters of the Philippine Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. She encourages the use of poetry to communicate cultural wisdom and values, to promote civic engagement, to build bridges for understanding and appreciating others and environment, to heal and empower others. She is an educator and poet who uses this art form to promote multilingualism, social justice, and bring forth the voices of often marginalized communities. As a Chamorro woman, her poetry reflects her native values of reciprocity, relationship with others, respect for elders, the strength of women, and more. She finds these values aligned with those of native Hawaiians and people of communities across Hawai'i. Mahalo to the Molokai Arts Center for welcoming Dr. Hattori as the last Artist in Residence for 2024. https://lnkd.in/gQPkci3V

Stay updated on the latest headlines from the Pacific Islands by subscribing to our newsletter below.

Call for Submissions! You're invited to submit papers for our next Visions & Voices, a quarterly publication dedicated to the Pacific Islands region. Deadline for Submissions: December 31, 2024 Theme for This Issue: “Navigating Change: Pacific Resilience in a Shifting World” We welcome essays, articles, and commentaries (800-1,200 words) exploring how Pacific communities and governments are addressing global challenges. Contributions focusing on climate resilience—as emphasized in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent—are especially encouraged, though submissions on other Pacific Islands topics are also welcome. For complete submission guidelines, visit: https://lnkd.in/g9FW9ymb For inquiries, please contact: pireport@eastwestcenter.org #PIRreport #VisionsAndVoices #climatechange #pacificislands #pacific

Pacific Islands Leadership Program (PILP) with Taiwan and Resilient Pacific Islands Leaders (RPIL) Fellowship Alumni! Join us online for a networking event on December 18, 2024, 4:00 pm HST, Navigating Change: Pacific Resilience in a Shifting World. Click on the link below for more information. We look forward to seeing you! https://lnkd.in/gJFFUyUB #PILP #RPIL #PacificIslands #Leadership #Resilience

Join our Director, Dr. Mary Therese Hattori as she gives the keynote address at the University of Guam's 46th Annual Research Conference! Tapestries of Resilience: Securing Our Island Communities March 6-7, 2025 Interested in presenting at the conference? Scholars, artists, community experts, and students, you are invited to submit your work for consideration. Abstracts should relate to the conference theme or address other topics of local and regional importance. Click on the link below for more information. https://lnkd.in/gGGf9jFw

Congratulations to our PIDP Deputy Director Dr. James Perez Viernes on the successful launch of his book, Every Day I Dream of Sumay: Thriving in the Face of Displacement and Exile in Post-War Guam! The book honors the legacy of Sumay, a southern village that was taken after World War II by the U.S. military to construct the present day Naval Base Guam. Through personal stories from the Taotao Sumay (people of Sumay), Dr. Viernes highlights their resilience in preserving their identity, culture, and connection to their ancestral lands despite their displacement and exile. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g2yGdPsb #PIDPFamily #PacificHistory #Sumay

Stay updated on the latest headlines from the Pacific Islands by subscribing to our newsletter below.

REMINDER: RSVP by December 6! Our director, Dr. Mary Therese Hattori, will join Dr. Kamana Beamer to give the keynote speech at the College of Education, University of Hawai‘i-Mānoa Assessment Symposium, "Equity and Justice in Assessment." RSVP jaimesim@hawaii.edu to attend on Friday, January 17 at the Campus Center Ballroom, University of Hawaii at Manoa. https://lnkd.in/gSW4f98K

Congratulations to Paki Ormsby, our former consultant and forever member of the PIDP Family, who has joined the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) as its Deputy Chief Executive Operations! https://lnkd.in/g5rKMddN #PIDPFamily