JESSE Deleon Guerrero, an agroforestry and food and nutrition security extension agent at Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services, was the lone CNMI participant in the Young Pacific Leaders or YPL conference held on Guam from April 17 to 20.
The annual event is the U.S. government’s “signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in the Pacific.”
The other participants are young leaders from Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, American Samoa, Guam, and other Pacific islands.
Participants must be between the ages of 20 and 35, and the annual conference takes place in a different Pacific nation or jurisdiction each year.
They discuss topics pertaining to education, environment and resource management, civic leadership, and economic and social development.
“This opens a lot of doors for you — grant opportunities, fellowships, exchanges with other young leaders from other countries,” Deleon Guerrero said.
He said he was interested in linking YPL’s resource management with the work he does at NMC-CREES.
While on Guam, Deleon Guerrero took part in site visits to Guam Sustainable Culture, Guam Green Growth, Saggan Kotturan Chamorro, the Micronesian Area Research Center, and more. The conference paid for his travel to Guam and his hotel stay there.
Deleon Guerrero said one of the main benefits of the YPL is networking with other young leaders from across the Pacific to see how they’re using grant funds to solve problems on their island.
For example, Deleon Guerrero said a participant from Papua New Guinea used YPL funds to build permanent shelters that support female farmers who sell produce by the roadside.
Deleon Guerrero said of the 700 people who applied, he was one of the 40 who was selected to take part in this year’s conference.
He would like to see the number of participants from the CNMI increase.
“I encourage anyone interested. It’s a unique opportunity,” he said.