In July, JSA held the inaugural Civics Institute Micronesia in Saipan. The program was incredibly popular with more applications than we had slots, and multiple local newspapers covered the program. Our partner, Northern Marianas College, was instrumental in helping us deliver engaging college-level courses in debate and environmental justice. This summer program was made possible by our grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Eighteen high school students from the CNMI, Guam, the Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia spent their last week on Saipan taking college-level courses in debate and environmental justice at Northern Marianas College as part of the Junior State of America’s inaugural Civics Institute Micronesia.
Founded in 1934, JSA is the nation’s oldest non-partisan non-profit organization dedicated to helping high school students acquire leadership skills and the knowledge. This year, NMC was selected by JSA to be the host institution for its newest summer program, Civics Institute Micronesia, a weeklong residential program on Saipan designed to engage high school students with the most pressing issues facing the Pacific today, challenging them to look beyond differences and focus on solution-oriented action. Participants gain a complete understanding of critical issues directly from the decision-makers who shape public policy and apply lessons learned to generate ideas for direct action in their communities.