In August 2022, a student from the Northern Marianas College (NMC) Lyle Andrew stepped up to volunteer for Project HOPE: Healthy Ocean & People Empowerment, a collaborative ocean conservation program aimed at empowering communities and preserving our oceans through education.
The program, funded by the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), brings together sixth graders, college students, and ocean experts to improve science test scores through ocean conservation awareness. Locally initiated by the Friends of the Mariana Trench, the project aims to safeguard the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.
As a Natural Resource Management major, Andrew recognizes the importance of educating younger generations about the significance of ocean conservation and the consequences of neglecting it. “We have to be the ones to step up and save our oceans,” he added.
Project HOPE has been building a network between PSS sixth-graders, NMC Environment and Natural Resources Organization (ENRO) college students, and community elders since 2019, offering a free ocean science program tailored to the needs of CNMI sixth-graders. Conservation teams consisting of an Ocean Elder, two NMC ENRO college students, and thirty sixth-graders are involved in a range of ocean conservation-related activities, stewardship projects, and attend an ocean conservation camp. The program bridges traditional culture and modern conservation science by incorporating local elders’ ocean expertise into a Western science curriculum. In the long term, the program hopes to inspire interest in conservation careers among CNMI youth, leading to the development of more local ocean and marine science professionals by 2030.
NMC’s ENRO program, with guidance from Friends of the Marianas Trench staff, oversees Project HOPE, a program led by college students. Working alongside knowledgeable local elders, these students conduct a 16-week series of ocean science club sessions, meeting once a week for six hours with sixth graders. The program aims to provide hands-on learning experiences that promote ocean literacy, foster connections with the community and environment, and enhance STEM knowledge.
Olympia Sablan emphasized that one of the main objectives of Project HOPE is to revive traditional knowledge and promote its continuation for future generations. She first volunteered at outreach events, such as the Flame Tree Festival and DCRM’s annual Ocean Fair, before becoming a Junior Project Coordinator at FOMT. Sablan explained that the program was established to bridge the gap between indigenous practices and formal education, with the aim of increasing enrollment in the Natural Resource Management (NRM) program at NMC and inspiring future ocean conservation leaders. This was deemed necessary due to a decline in enrollment in the NRM program over the past decade.
According to Franco Santos, the Vice Chair and Treasurer of FOMT, the local community can lend its support by attending public events and sharing the messages of FOMT and Project HOPE. Santos stressed that the program aims to enhance students’ understanding of the local environment and the marine life within it. By promoting education, students will be better prepared to advocate for the sustainability of their islands for future generations.
All PSS Middle Schools are now eligible to participate in Project HOPE. To register, parents can either consult their child’s science teacher or sign up for their sixth grader via the program’s website. Participants are required to attend after-school and weekend activities at their school or Guma Sakman, and to take part in at least one stewardship project. The program concludes with an ocean camp at the end of each semester.
