Mo’na Manhoben Youth Summit concludes with action plan addition to G3 Action Framework

At the conclusion of the Mo’na Manhoben Youth Summit last month at the Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum, the organizers officially launched the Youth Action Plan, a blueprint created by the youth sector in alignment with the University of Guam-Guam Green Growth (G3) Action Framework. 

The Summit was planned and facilitated by youth organizers from the Guam Youth Congress, the Governor’s Youth Advisory Council, and the G3 Youth Ambassadors, with support from the Offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Guam Community College, and University of Guam. More than 100 youths from schools and various organizations and groups around the island contributed to the development of the plan. 

For UOG President Thomas Kriese, the youth action plan’s integration into the G3 Action Framework energizes the continuing commitment to accomplish the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. “The prospect of climate change and all the attendant problems around that is really a tough, heavy thing to face. The more we can make it enjoyable, fun, collaborative, and connected to our culture — the better off we will all be. So, part of our mission is to make this enjoyable, this kind of togetherness to accomplish these big goals,” Kriese said at the summit.  

The plan outlines goals and priorities for addressing the following areas: health and wellbeing, equality and equity, education, sustainability and climate action, and youth opportunities and activities. Specific action items are prioritized into 10-year goals, 3–5-year SMART goals, and FY 2021-2022 action items.  

Under the sustainability and climate action category, team members identified several key long-term goals including the full integration of sustainability projects and curricula into existing school programs; limiting imports to promote local buying to mitigate the effects of the Jones Act. For equality and equity, the top long-term goal is to increase and promote cultural awareness in the school community. For education, the team members ranked quality pay for teachers and an enhanced curriculum as top priorities. The health and well-being team identified consistent training and education on Guam about mental health issues. For the youth opportunities team,  

According to the summit organizers, the integration of the Youth Action Plan into the G3 Action Framework ensures long-term commitment among stakeholders to achieve the goals outlined in the plan.   

“We as youth are very clearly experiencing and concerned about a variety of issues. With this summit and action plan, however, we’re taking active, meaningful steps toward addressing them,” said Nolan Flores of the Mo’na Manhoben Steering Committee in a release. “We’re excited to unveil this Youth Action Plan and even more excited to put it into action and bring it to life alongside our government and community partners.”  

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